


For Every Soul Is A Home

by Michadommy



Category: Fall Out Boy
Genre: Adoption, Children, M/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-02-23
Updated: 2015-02-23
Packaged: 2018-03-14 18:16:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 21,425
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3420719
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Michadommy/pseuds/Michadommy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Pete and Patrick adopt for the first time in 2009.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. How It All Began

**Author's Note:**

> Pff. I'm pretty nervous about uploading this story. I've worked on this for four days straight with breaks in-between and I think I can say this is the story I've worked the hardest on. This story consists of an OCC I've used before, but he never fitted into any of my stories. He's into another story of mine, but with a whole other personality, which I didn't like. Nor did I like my characterization of Pete. So here's the story of Pete and Patrick adopting a child in a different jacket. 
> 
> I present you: "For Every Soul Is A Home". Enjoy! Please leave kudos and comment. But please, constructive.

For Every Soul Is A Home  
Chapter 1

It was a cold, rainy night in another nameless city. It probably had a name, Pete knew that, and it probably wasn't such a little city if they were playing in it, but he didn't care. They had to rush out of the van, through the rain, to inside the venue, and that all without getting caught by the fans. They had to be silent as the dead. Although Pete didn't believe for a second that the dead were always silent. Take zombies for example; they would stumble upon literally everything.

Pete was applying eyeliner when Andy walked in. “Hey man. Good luck tonight.” Andy said to him, while grabbing a bottle of water from the cooler in the corner of the dressing room. “Thanks.” Pete mumbled in response, while adding that extra bit of eyeliner. “We're almost playing hometown. Looking forward to it.” Andy rambled, while fooling around with the lid of the water bottle. “Yeah, me too.” Pete answered automatically. “You don't sound enthusiastic.” Andy noted, after finally opening the water bottle. 

“Because I'm not.” Andy looked up from the water bottle. “No?” Pete shook his head. “It's nothing, man. Probably a cold.” Andy shrugged and replied, “If you say so.” 

After a couple of minutes, the stagehand came knocking on the door, announcing that it was their time to shine. Andy instantly left, while Pete took a deep breath and in the end, followed Andy to the stage.

“I'm done.” Pete announced, after storming off the stage with Andy following in tow. “I'm so done. They booed us off the stage! They... Jerks!” He exclaimed out loud. “Man, I know. I know, but we can't do anything about it. Nothing at all.” Pete shook his head. “Did you see Patrick? Did you see him, Andy? I love him; I can't stand seeing him when he's like this! I just...” Pete paused mid-sentence. “What do you want, Pete? Tell me, I'll listen. I'm your friend, not your enemy.” 

“Andy... I want a child. I want to become a dad.” He confessed to his friend. “A baby? You want a baby? Dude, I care a great deal about you, but you plus a baby is a disaster. Even with Patrick's loving and gentle hands.” Pete thought long and hard about that. “You know, I think about it. I'm going to give it a night. I'll let you know how it goes.” Andy shook his head and said “If you say so. I'll hear from you. But now, I'm going to knock myself out. See you at the hotel, Pete.” With that, the conversation was over. Andy was left dead tired, confused and worried and Pete was even more confused. It had been a weird conversation, that wasn't over yet.

Pete thought long and hard about it in his hotel room, while Patrick laid sound asleep next to him, covered underneath blankets. It were cold months. Pete thought and thought. A baby wasn't ideal; the band just released a new album and they were touring. The only option was adopting somebody older; they were going to adopt anyway. But how old? Pete didn't know the answer to that question. 

In the end, Pete fell asleep at 3 AM with the idea to ask Andy in the morning. 

“So... I thought long and hard. I'm going to adopt.” Andy sighed and put his cup of coffee down. “If that's your wish. Does Patrick know?” Pete shook his head and explained, “I want to get through the procedures first and find a suitable kid. I don't want to disappoint Patrick in any way.” Andy shook his head in disapproval. “That doesn't sound like a good plan at all, Pete. It sounds like trouble. A lot of trouble. And in what age class are you looking for? And from what country? Damn Pete! Patrick will notice it when you go missing for months.” Pete shook his head again and said, “Not if I'm going to look into American orphanage. It's much easier than looking for a kid abroad.” Andy thought about it and in the end replied with, “You won't get a young baby or toddler then.” Pete shrugged. “Never wanted one to begin with. I want somebody older, so I can talk with them. A four year old, maybe? They can draw.” Andy rolled his eyes. “Weirdo.” He muttered with a smile. 

“So the plan is to get through the procedures, then find a kid suitable for you and Patrick, and then adopt him or her together?” Pete nodded, while munching on a piece of toast. “That's the plan.” Andy sighed and questioned, “Pete, have you really thought long and hard about this?” Pete nodded. “A whole night!” He exclaimed with a grin. Andy gave up to fight. 

“So... Mr. Wentz. You've requested an audience by childcare.” The woman stated the obvious to Pete, to which he nodded. “And now you're here. For a consult about the possibility to become a father of a son or daughter, together with your partner Mr. Stump. Who you have informed that you're here?” Pete opened his mouth, but closed it shortly after. Then he decided that he should be honest, and shook his head. “No, I didn't. It's... a surprise.” He explained. “But a child is not just a gift you can give, Mr. Wentz!” She exclaimed, eyes wide and disappointed. “I know. And trust me, I don't see children as something you can just give, don't worry. I just... I first wanted to know if I was able to adopt before I dropped the bomb on him. And I kind of want to make sure that there is a child for us, so he won't be disappointed. I'm not sure if there's a child for someone like me with this life and this past. I just don't want to disappoint Patrick, ma'am. He's the love of my life and the only one I see myself with together with a child.” Pete confessed. 

The woman seemed to think about his confession for a while, before unprofessional sighing and putting her pencil and papers down. Pete uncomfortably moved a bit around in his chair, noticing that something had changed in the air. It probably was bad news. “It seems like we have a bit of a problem here, Mr. Wentz. You see, we, of childcare, sometimes already have a plan laid out for certain cases. There where a few points we needed assuring for, but otherwise, we had a plan for you. You are messing it up with this confession, to be honest. I have to council with my co-workers, Mr. Wentz. I'll be right back. In the mean time, you may call a friend for council. I'll be right back.” With those words, she left the room. Pete sighed, and reached out for his mobile.

“You're speaking with Hurley...” “Damn it, Andy! If this is the goddamn voicemail...” “No, Pete this is not the goddamn voicemail. This is actually me. Some people confirm to people that they have the right mobile number, you know. It's pretty normal. Now, what's the problem?” Pete sighed in relief, then sighed for the second time out of stress. “Look man, here's the situation: I'm at childcare. You know, where they decide if you're suitable for kids. It doesn't look good for me. They were like, 'We had a plan laid out for you, but you kinda fucked up by not telling Patrick you were here.' Now I'm in deep trouble, man.” Pause. “Now that's what I call having a situation. I'm speed dialing Joe, give me a second.” “What no! Andy, wait!” 

Ring, ring, ring....

“You're speaking with Joe.” Pause. “I hate you, Hurley.” Pause. “Pete?” Joe asked over the line, to which Andy answered, “Pete and Joe. Hey, Joe.” Joe greeted back with an uninterested voice, then explained he was watching television. “Sounds fun. Hey Joe, we kinda have a situation here with Pete. We need your help.” Andy informed his bandmate, while trying to find out if Pete was still hanging on there. “Oh? Should I call Patrick...?” Joe asked, to which both men screamed, “NO!” Which caused Joe to move the mobile a bit further away from his ear. “No, but thanks for the offer. It's kinda resolving around Patrick, you see. Pete didn't tell Patrick something and now we're having a situation.” Andy explained, trying to give away as little information about the situation as he could. 

“That doesn't sound good, at all. Come on, Pete, you should've know you can't hide anything from Patrick. Did he find out?” Joe inquired. “No, and that's the problem. He doesn't know. I'm not sure if he wants to know.” “Oh Oh. Doesn't sound good.” Joe answered, while munching on a crisp. “What can I do about this?” He questioned, to which Pete quickly answered, “Nothing. Just go back to watching television, man. Everything is under control right here.” Andy shook his head from the other end of the line and said, “It's not Pete. You could lose something huge this instant. Besides, there's no hiding. What if Patrick decided sooner or later that he wants a baby and you go to the government? They will find it out and Patrick will be disappointed and angry with you. That's not what you want. Look-” 

“Mr. Wentz?” Pete looked up from the table he was staring at in despair, and looked up to the woman standing in the doorway. “Please say you have good news with you.” He pleaded desperately. The lady slowly started to smile and said, slowly, “I believe I do.” 

On the other end of the line, Andy cheered, while Joe asked in confusion, “What's going on?”. “Seriously?” She nodded and advised, “Maybe you should hang up? Then we can proceed.” Pete looked to the phone in his hand, said 'See you later' and hung up. “I'm ready, ma'am. I'm listening.” She smiled.

“Part of us thought it was one of the stupidest things to do in a relationship, not telling your partner you're getting checked by childcare for the possibility for a child. But then again, it was clever thought of you, Mr. Wentz. Someone like you who once tried to commit suicide, who used to skip school and who has a busy life on the road, trying to adopt a child. It doesn't happen all too often. Mostly because most stars with a life like that refuse to get a child or can make on themselves. But we're happy you're here.” Pete raised an eyebrow and inquired, “Really?” She laughed and nodded. “Really. But first a couple of questions.” Pete nodded in agreement, “Shoot.”

“Will you stand up or stand against skipping school?” She questioned as first question, to which Pete almost instantly answered, “Against, of course. It's not good for children; they're going to have to catch up with all the work they missed and they are going to do stupid things outside school. I'm definitely going to stand against skipping school.” She nodded in agreement. 

“Next question: are you going to advise medication for your kids?” He stroked in his chin and thought long and hard about it, before answering: “I'm not. The doctor or the hospital is... except when it's an headache. Then I try to give them one paracetamol. That's allowed, right?” She nodded. “I know how painful headaches are, and every parent advices paracetamol. As long as it is a dose suitable for children. You need to read the leaflet added to the box of paracetamol to find out how much you're allowed to give and keep you to that. You're going to need to hide them, right?” Pete continued with his speech about medication. She nodded again and said, “Well done, Mr. Wentz.”

She continued to ask a couple of questions about school, injuries and medication before she skipped over to his personal life. “Mr. Wentz, how's the touring schedule? Busy schedule?” Pete nodded. “Actually, no. We just finished our latest tour, the 'Believers Never Die Tour Part Deux'. It's pretty calm right now; we don't have much on our minds. Well, I do, with this, but I gladly spent my day fighting for a child.” He confessed with a smile. 

“Interesting. Are you going to record in the studios, soon?” Pete paused and thought long and hard about. They hadn't really had the talk about studios yet, but as far as he was concerned, there wasn't coming a studio time anytime soon. Not after all the booing towards Folie Á Deux. “Not when I decide it on my own. But I can't say anything this instant. Sorry, ma'am.” He apologized with a shy smile of his own. “Don't worry. But if you will record, will it be close to home?” Pete thought, before saying, “Our last album was recorded in Hollywood, California. I'm not sure if we will return to the place everything went wrong.” He confessed, with a bitter taste in his mouth. “Will you record your next album in Chicago?” She asked, trying not to sound too hopeful. “No.” Pete answered and explained, “We just... no. I can't give you a reason, though. Maybe because there's better equipment in bigger places?” He tried with a shrug, which resulted in a smile from the woman questioning him. 

“May I know why you're specifically want it to be in Chicago?” He inquired with a sly smile plastered on his lips, while fiddling with his fingers and questioning in his head why she wanted it. He would know it soon enough (he hoped). The lady sighed, before putting down the papers she was holding and eyed him, before finally saying something. “Because Mr. Wentz, we have a candidate who loves Chicago.” Pete stared funny at her. Then opened his mouth and instantly closed it. “You mean, as in a child?” She nodded, then laughed. “Well, more like as in a teenager. Not a child. I have to disappoint you, Mr. Wentz. I hope you don't mind?” Pete had to process all the information. “May I... give my friends a call?” He tried with a desperate smile. She nodded kindly at him, and said, “If that's what you want, Mr. Wentz.” 

There weren't many memories of Pete getting out of a room that fast.

“Andy, please, for the love of God, answer your mobile.” Pete mumbled, desperate. “Hey, Pete.” Andy said when the line connected. “I kinda told Joe of the situation. I'm sorry, man. He won't tell anybody. Joe's a cool guy, and he certainly wouldn't spill the beans about something like this to anybody. He might act nervous around Patrick, though. I'll try to find something for that. Don't worry, man. Hey, you there?” Pete nodded, but Andy couldn't see that, of course. “Yeah, I am. Just had some news.” Andy took a deep breath, and said. “Tell me everything. I'm listening. Was it bad or good?” Pete sighed. “Good. I might become a dad!” He cheered, but his voice betrayed that not all was well. “That's great news! But what's the problem, then?” He questioned with raised eyebrows (even though Pete couldn't see that) “...Of a teenager.” He dropped the bomb. There, he did it. Now he'd wait for Andy's response.

“...What happened to a cute little toddler?” Andy suddenly inquired, when Pete wasn't expecting a reply yet. He jumped a couple of centimeters in the air. “Yeez, you scared me. And I don't know, man. All I know is that she said that she had a candidate and that it was a teenager.” He repeated the conversation. “And then?” Andy asked, to which Pete said, “I ran out of the room.” Silence. “You're an idiot. What is childcare supposed to think of it you, now? And that kid? Pete, a teenager is still a kid. With feelings. You're an idiot. You wanted a kid that could draw, didn't you? And talk?” He questioned. “Yeah, but...” “No buts. Nothing. This kid can talk, have conversations and the only differences are that he won't pee next to the toilet and give you better quality drawings. ...Well, I hope.” Pause. “But they grow even quicker up! They won't need me in a second.” Pete confessed his fears to his friend. “Did you even inquire what his or her age? And did you inquire to it's gender? Man, you're a runner.” Andy shook his head. Pete knew, because he could hear the rustle of hair. 

“You're right, aren't you? I hate not being right. What should I do now?” Andy sighed. “Well, the obvious. Go back inside, moron.” Pete shook his head and said, “I can't do that! I just ran out of the room.” “Doesn't mean you can't go back in. Just go, man. Just go.” Pete sighed. “...Okay then. Speak to you later.” Pete hung up and went back inside. 

“I'm sorry for walking out earlier. I just... freaked out. I can't bear the thought of a child of mine growing up so fast. I'm sorry.” He confessed, eyes dropping to the table. The woman sitting opposite of him sighed, took off her glasses and said, “It's not a problem, Mr. Wentz. We thought we had the ideal match. A kid with a former pill problem, who loves your music, is in the punk scene, who has nearly the same hairstyle as you.... He just seemed the right person, you know? Never mind. Come back later and we'll find you a younger child.” She shoved the chair she was sitting on away from the table and stood up, ready to take her leave.

“It was pleasant meeting you, Mr-” “I want the teenager. I don't mind. I want him as my... son? It's a guy right? Yeah, you said 'he'. I want him. Please?” Pete pleaded. Once he had heard the description of the kid... he was sold. He sounded like another lonely soul, waiting for saving. Pete knew he wasn't a charity case, he was a teenager with real feelings. And that's exactly what he wanted, what he needed. He just didn't know it until then. Someone who he could the punk scene with, someone who understand his opinion on music (he hoped). And even not, he sounded fantastic. The whole fan thing might be a problem, though. Patrick would not like that. 

“You really want him? You want Pegasus?” The woman questioned, while stepping forward. Pete nodded fiercely. “Then you have to promise to take care of him. To treasure him. And when times are bad, not to send him back unless absolutely necessary. Fight for him, fight for your family. He's worth all the fights, Mr. Wentz. He's worth the world. This is a special child that needs special care. Special in the sense of personality and soul; he's golden. Golden, Mr. Wentz.” Pete nodded, but couldn't help to ask, “But why don't you adopt him yourself if you appreciate him?” She laughed and told him, “Because I can't take care of him. I'm too soft, too weak. I didn't go through pain and trouble, like you and Mr. Stump. And I can never fight for him like you could fight for him. I can't love him enough. Besides, he's shy of women.” Pete smiled back at her. 

“But wait! Pegasus? As in an unicorn?” He frowned. She laughed again and explained, “Believe or not, his parents named him PeeHee. Not that's he's exotic or something like that. It's something like 'cutie pie'. He got sick of a) the name and b) that people got his name wrong. So he named himself something that people would remember and write correctly. One of the many reason why I'm fond of this particular kid. Not that I should be saying that...” She smiled at him. “So you're willing to take him in?” Pete nodded. “I have to council with Patrick first, of course. But I think we're taking him in.” He smiled brightly at her. “I think I'm becoming a dad.” He felt truly happy and lucky. Blessed. “Then we have a deal. I'm setting an appointment up with Pegasus. I'll give you a call. Make sure to spoil your boyfriend a bit. It will be a long time before you've got one-on-one time.”

“Hey, sweetheart, we gotta talk. Like, right now.” Pete told Patrick, while they were lounging in the living room with Andy and Joe. It wasn't the best moment, but Pete had just received a call from childcare that an appointment had been set up for a couple days later. It was now or never. “Alright?” Patrick answered, while pushing his glasses further up his nose. “Come with me, to our bedroom.” Pete motioned towards the upstairs bedroom and began to walk. Andy and Joe eyed each other and Patrick stared at his boyfriend's back. “I suppose we'll talk later?” He said to them, then turned his back towards his bandmates/friends and followed Pete's lead.

“So... what's going on, Pete? Did something happen?” Patrick questioned once they entered the master bedroom. “Sit.” Pete said, gesturing to the gigantic red bed in the middle of the room. Patrick did what he was told. Then Pete began, “Do you remember that one night, at the beginning of the tour, when I was extremely angry, yet devoted to something?” He questioned, triggering a memory in Patrick's mind. Patrick nodded, and said, “I do. I remember that clearly. Never heard the end of the story, nor the beginning. Except that you hated the booing of our fans. I suppose I'm going to hear what happened and what followed suit?” Patrick eyed his boyfriend with curious eyes. Pete smiled back at him, lowered himself next to his boyfriend and told him, “Yes. You will.” 

“First thing first: I hated the booing off the stage. I hated how they treated you, how they treated Joe and Andy. But the main thing: I felt incomplete. And no, it isn't you. It's just, babe, I love you, but I want...-” “A family.” Patrick interrupted. Pete looked over in surprise. “You knew?” Patrick nodded. “But how...?” Patrick laughed softly. “I'm your boyfriend of many years, Pete. Besides, I kinda... want a kid, too. We've been together for so many years, it's time to take the next step. And since you haven't proposed yet....” Patrick eyed Pete with caution, then continued, “...And won't anytime soon – I'm warning you, Pete – it's time for a child. I'm glad you think the same, Pete.”

Pete stared dumbfound at his boyfriend. Then he felt really, really naughty. “How about... a baby? Maybe Ashlee or Elisa wants to be a surrogate mother. Yeah, that sounds good...” Patrick murmured, happy. Probably thinking about a pink or blue cloud flying around the clouds. Pete hated himself a tiny bit at this point. Not completely, because this Pegasus was a good kid. He just knew. He was going to break the news to Patrick this instant. “If it's a boy, you get to choose a name. If it's a girl, I get to choose a name. How about that?” Pete closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “I'm going too fast, aren't I? I'm so sorry, Pete. I'll slow down, really.” Patrick apologized. “I..-” Pete raised his hand to stop him.

“What if... the child has already a name?” He questioned, while slowly opening his eyes again and staring Patrick in the eyes. “..What? I don't understand you, Pete.” Patrick confessed, looking guilty and confused. “...What if I already looked into things?” Pete said to his boyfriend, who blinked and answered, “You already looked into things? But Pete-” “I'm sorry. I didn't want to disappoint you if we weren't allowed to have children because of our lives and my medical past. So I looked into things. And I found a child to adopt. We only have to meet him, sign the papers and then we're parents. ...But if you don't want to, we can always say no.” 

Patrick looked at him like a fish would. But fishes couldn't talk. Pete had non-intelligent thoughts about fishes. Then Patrick smiled sadly and started talking. “Were you really worried they wouldn't let us have kids?” He questioned, still smiling sadly. Pete nodded and explained, “My suicide attempt, the middle school skipping... Patrick, that doesn't look good.” Patrick shook his head. “It doesn't.” He said. “What did childcare say?” Pete laughed out loud. “They said they had a candidate. Someone who fit in with us perfectly.” Patrick beamed at him. “Then we adopt him.” He stated, tightening his hold on Pete's hands which he had grabbed earlier on. “You sure you're up for a.... teenager?” Pete grinned evil, tooth showing. Patrick's mouth opened up wide and he exclaimed, “A TEENAGER?!” Pete nodded. “You're kidding me.” Pete shook his head. Patrick gasped. 

“I can't believe this! How old is he?” Patrick started to beam again, while Pete blinked. “I.. uh?” He mumbled. “Please don't tell me you didn't ask for his age. Please do tell me you have a name. “ Patrick glared at his boyfriend, which made Pete very uncomfortable. “Pegasus.” This time, Patrick blinked. “Pegasus? What are you talking about?” He inquired, confused. “The kid is named Pegasus. He didn't like his former name. I don't think he wants to talk about it.” The ends of Pete's lips curled up in a naughty smile, which made Patrick automatically smile brighter. “That's sweet. Is he, like, ten?” Pete shrugged, “I didn't know, remember? We'll meet him in a couple of days.” 

“You're kidding me, again.” Pete shook his head and told him, “Five days, babe. Five days until we meet our teenage son who's filled with hormones and sugar.” They both smiled and clasped each others hand together. “A teenager in the house will do use good.” 

END OF CHAPTER 1


	2. Meet Pegasus

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pete and Patrick meet Pegasus for the first time at IKEA Bolingbrook.

For Every Soul Is A Home  
Chapter 2

“We've got great news, guys!” Pete told Andy and Joe when he and Patrick stood at the top of the stairs, looking over the living room. Joe and Andy eyed each other with happy expressions on their faces, then turned to the couple. “You do? Has it anything to with rebellious teenagers?” Andy questioned, with twinkling eyes. Joe looked over in confusion and asked, “Teenagers? I thought they'd get a little toddler that could draw?” Andy grinned at him and explained that, “Childcare had a candidate, who's... not quite a toddler.” Joe narrowed his eyes at his friend, before turning his attention to Patrick and Pete.

“Is it true you're getting a teenager? Or are we messing up your relationship by talking kids in front of Patrick?” Pete laughed and happily informed that he had told Patrick. “Patrick reacted pretty good, to be honest. We decided to go through the process of the adoption. We're adopting Pegasus, a teenager with a fantastic taste in music.” He told them with a big grin on his face, while Patrick progressed the information. “He has a good taste in music?” Pete nodded enthusiastically, while swinging their hands in the air. “Yeah. He's really into the punk scene. But uh, I kinda have to inform you about something.” He confessed. Patrick looked at his boyfriend and wondered what it could be. “He's a rebellious teenager who listens to scream music?” He took a guess. Pete shook his head and said, “From what I heard, he's kinda into us. I hope that's not a problem.” Silence.

“You're saying our future kid is a fan of us? Pete... That doesn't sound good. What if he's extremely obsessed with us?” Patrick began to doubt their decision. Some teenagers kinda went loose in this part of their life and although he could deal with an average teenager, he didn't know if he could handle a fan of theirs. It would be really awkward. “How badly is it?” Patrick needed to know. Pete only shrugged. “I don't know, 'Trick. Just heard the lady saying he was into us. Do you want me to call childcare?” Patrick sighed, but shook his head and said, “I suppose we will find out when we meet up with him. When and where, actually?”

“In five days, at the Ikea near Chicago. I believe the... Bolingbrook one. Turns out the kid has a deep love for Chicago.” Pete shrugged it off as something normal. He had a hard time leaving Chicago behind, too. He and Patrick were currently living in Hollywood, Los Angeles. Which meant they had to fly from LAX to Chicago, which took five hours max. “That's... alright, I suppose. The Ikea is always a good place to shop.” Pete nodded, “And we need some furniture for Pegasus.” Patrick seemed to disagree, by saying, “I'm not sure, Pete. I'm not sure if I want a fan as son.”

Pete gawked at his boyfriend, and so did Joe and Andy. “You don't want to adopt Pegasus, a kid that loves punk music and went through a lot of stuff to simply live? Patrick!” Patrick crossed his arms and glared at Pete, who had raised his voice a tiny bit. “I'm sorry, 'Trick, but I already love the kid once I heard the description of him. He sounds like an awesome kid, a kid we can befriend.” Patrick shook his head and said, “You're not supposed to befriend your kid. What if he does something wrong? Friends don't ground each other.” Patrick pointed out. “Fine. But I don't want to hate my kid, either.”

“I'm not saying you're supposed to hate him or her, but you're not supposed to be attached to the hip.” Joe and Andy followed the conversation with deep interest. They looked at Patrick, then at Pete who seemed to disagree with everything Patrick just said. “Fine. If that's how you want to deal with your child, then alright. But we're adopting Pegasus. I don't want any other kid.” He stated, while mimicking his boyfriend's pose. Patrick shook his head in frustration.

“But I don't want him, he might be obsessed with us, Pete. And you don't know how to deal with him. We're adopting another kid, that's all I'm going to say about it.” Andy decided to interfere. “But guys,” He began, “Aren't you supposed to meet the kid first and then judge him?” Joe nodded in agreement. “Yeah, he's right. Just try to not tear each other up and meet the kid. It's in five days. Pete can stay with me until then so the both of you can sort out your thoughts about kids and how they should be raised.”

Pete and Patrick looked at each other, before Patrick reached out with his hand to Pete. “Deal. You're staying with Joe, then I do some research.” Pete still disagreed. “I don't think you should search it up.” He said. “I think I might talk to my parents. I'm not sure if I like the sound of education books either.” Pete nodded. “Good. I'll talk to mine.”

“So, here we are.” Patrick said to Pete after meeting up with him in the parking lot of Ikea Bolingbrook. “I talked to my mother. She said we should try to find our own way of raising kids. She kinda took your side, too.” Pete mumbled to his boyfriend with much chagrin. Patrick didn't feel praised. “My mom said I shouldn't judge him before I met my child. That it could go well and that maybe the fan thing wasn't so big.” Patrick told Pete with a shrug. “Good. Shall we go?” Pete nodded. Hand in hand, they walked into the big Ikea entrance.

“Good morning, Mr-” “Shh! We are on a mission here.” Pete told her with a excited grin, which made Patrick roll his eyes. “But for real, nobody can know we're here. We're undercover. Patrick covered himself up with his biggest trucker hat and I wear a jacket, including cape I can hide under. We're doing everything not to get noticed.” The woman nodded in approval. “That's well thought of you. Follow me, gentlemen.” She gestured to the inside of the store.

Pete and Patrick followed her through the Ikea. They were led through all kinds of different sections of the store, until they reached the bedroom section. There awaited them another childcare lady, who was, as the other lady, disguised as a normal customer. They knew she was one because she seemed to waiting for someone and she greeted their tour guide with a smile. “Hello, gentlemen. I've heard you're here to meet up with one of our children. I'm Jeannie, I work at the orphanage Pegasus is from. I'm here to make sure he behaves. Not that he isn't a lovely child! He's just full of mischief. Besides, he doesn't know anybody here. I convinced him not take along a bunch of his friends; it's a relief they are not here. But either way, I'm so glad you're here! Finally somebody who's willing... to adopt him.” She whispered the last part, which made Pete and Patrick relieved.

“He has troubling friends? You said you're happy that they are not here.” Patrick pointed out, which made the woman splutter a bit. “Well, they're lovely. They just cause a lot of trouble. They're mad at the world. Most of them live on the streets, and they get together in abounded houses in the bad zones of Chicago. But they're not a bad influences on Pegasus.” The couple didn't like the sound of that very much, but they decided to shove it away for the moment. First, they should meet the kid.

“So... where's the kid?” Pete asked with enthusiasm in his voice, while Patrick began to sweat. The ladies looked around and eventually, came back to the couple. “It seems like he just finished checking himself out in the standing mirror.” The tour guide told them with a smile. “Which means he is...?” Pete asked with a grin on his face. He liked the sound of a kid that cared of his looks, while Patrick didn't like the sound of that either. “He's over there.” Jeannie gestured over to the section with a mirror in it. There, he stood.

Pete gawked at him, while Patrick blinked an awful amount of times. There, in the corner of the store, stood a kid with a bored expression on his face. He didn't seem to stare at anything in particular. He just... stood there. Pete smiled at him, which he didn't seem to notice. He seemed lost in thoughts. Pete was about to wave, when Patrick pulled his arm back. “Let's observe him first.” He whispered to his boyfriend in awe. He was amazed. The kid looked perfect. He fit right in by them. Something about him just clicked in, it made Patrick feel whole. From the hair, to the clothing. If he just smiled.... then Patrick could judge everything. But first, he took a closer look at the body, the head and the clothing.

He had a haircut that was a tiny bit longer than Pete's. His hair was black, and it went over half of his left eye, but didn't fully cover his left ear. He had a full face. Probably baby fat, Patrick thought to himself. He had a small, elegant nose that fit right in with the picture. His lips weren't anything special, but Patrick still knew to appreciate them, and he was pretty sure a future lover of the kid would too. His eyes were a beautiful color blue, and it seemed like he either had very thick eyelashes or was wearing eyeliner. Patrick snorted at the sight.

The kid wore a dark blue jacket with a couple of black stripes on them. They could be grey, too. Underneath, he was wearing a black shirt with a few dark blue stripes on it. It was a different kind of blue than the jacket. Neon dark blue, maybe? He wore black pants underneath the top outfit. And underneath that, he wore black and white sneakers. They looked lovely and fitted right there in the view. Next to that, he wore a black and white watch. It kinda struck out. Patrick was curious about the story behind it.

“And, what do you think?” Pete asked, while softly bouncing on the top of his feet from excitement. “I think he looks stunning.” Patrick whispered to Pete. Pete grinned out of happiness. “So do I.” Pete responded. “Let's go over there, 'Trick.” He whispered, while still bouncing. Patrick nodded once and grabbed his boyfriend's hand. “Let's go.”

“Hi there!” Pete greeted when they were nearing the kid. The kid, who was still staring ahead of himself, sharply turned his head around to the sound. Once he spotted the couple and the childcare workers walking behind, he tilted his head to the side and stared at the group. He didn't say anything back. “Is he nervous, you think?” Pete asked Patrick in a whisper while they were still approaching the kid. Patrick simply shook his head, “He doesn't seem like the type. But then again, we're here to show our interest in him. I think everybody would be slightly nervous.”

At some point they stopped in front of him. He seemed to... observe them. He was watching them intensely and once in a while, he would give them a total look over. Pete held his breath, which made Patrick to remind his boyfriend to breathe. Pete was a total wreck at that point. They waited minutes in silence, until the kid seemed satisfied and tilted his head back to a normal staring position.

“Hey.” He whispered. Pete and Patrick smiled at him, which made him smile, too. It was one of the most beautiful things Patrick had seen in life. Next to seeing Pete smile, his mother smile, his father smile and above seeing other children smile. He loved it. Pete had trouble not to bounce again.

“How are ya doing, kiddo?” Pete asked politely, remembering his manners, which made Patrick feel proud and happy to be here with that man. Pegasus shrugged at first, but when one of the childcare workers glared (Pete and Patrick thought that was what caused the talking), he started to response in words. “I suppose I'm doing alright. No wounds, no alcohol and no recent fights with friends. I suppose that is good, right?” He shrugged again. The couple heard two sighs behind them, but decided to ignore them. This was their moment.

“Sounds good, man.” Pete told him with a smile. “I'm happy for you.” Patrick added, which made Pegasus smile again for a short while and answer with a simple, “Thank you.” “You're welcome.” Patrick whispered, while his heart started beating faster with the second. Pegasus just smiled at him, showing some teeth.

The group stared at each other in silence for a couple of minutes, until the lady behind them fake coughed and said, “You're drawing unwanted attention to yourself.” Pete and Patrick froze, while Pegasus looked around. “You got a problem?” He asked once he apparently spotted someone staring at them. Pete and Patrick were still frozen in their spot, trying to best not to get curiosity or fear to get the best of them. Turning around could be fatal for them, as celebrities.

“No, I... was looking at that fine mirror behind you, young man. I'll move on.” Said a voice behind the couple. It sounded like an old, curious old lady's voice. Pete hated those, who had to stick their noses constantly in other people's business.

After a few seconds where they heard shuffling, Pegasus opened his mouth and said, “She's gone. We better move on, fast. Let's go to the next section.” The next section turned out to be the section called “Children's IKEA”. After that was the IKEA Family section and then the restaurant & Café.

“I have a feeling I'm too old for this section...” Pegasus mumbled to no one in particular. Patrick, however had other ideas in his head. “But this is the perfect place to look for a desk for you to do your homework on! Look over there, a black desk made of oak wood!” Patrick gestured over to a wooden desk to his right and then proceeded to drag Pete and Pegasus along to take a look. “But wait, we're keeping him?” Pete asked in a whisper before they had grabbed Pegasus's hand. Patrick nodded with a smile and quickly whispered back, “Unless if he's an obsessive fan. We're going to ask him later. Now, shh.”

“Uh.” Pegasus said when they stood for the desk. “I don't think that's oak wood, Patrick. I can call you Patrick, right?” He questioned, to which Patrick eagerly nodded, “Sure.” They continued to stare in silence at the desk. “I didn't expect a mature desk to stand here, to be honest.” Pegasus confessed, suddenly, which made the couple look up from the desk. “Neither did I. But it's an awesome desk. Wish I had one like that when I was younger... Hey, do you want this desk for your room?” Pete asked out of the blue, while staring intensely at the kid. “...Uh, sure...? So it's official now, I'm going to be living with you guys?” Pete nodded enthusiastically, while Patrick eyed him warily.

“Pete, weren't we going to ask him something first?” Patrick hinted to the whole FOB fan thing. “Oh yeah! So, me and Patrick where wondering if you where a big of FOB or you just liked our music.” Pete dropped the question. Patrick held his breath. “Uh? Well, I'm into your music. But if I'm going to do crazy things for tickets to a show... Not really. Like, I wouldn't lose my dignity for you guys. I would, however, totally rock out to your music. And try to follow you around if you are in Chicago. Like, a bit stalker-ish, but not like attacking you guys level of stalker being, or stealing your stuff to do... stuff to it. I'm just a creep in general. I like to hang out with punk scene artists.” He said the last thing with a big grin. “Is that alright with you guys...?”

Pete and Patrick looked at each other with happy smiles, before Pete turned to Pegasus and gave an approving nod. “It is. It totally is.” He told the teenager, with a big, toothy grin. Patrick agreed by giving Pegasus a nod of the head. “Well, who wants to eat something?” Pete clapped his hands together and looked around. “I could use some food.” Pegasus said nonchalant. “Then we will go the IKEA Restaurant and Café. Let's go!”

“So, Pegasus, tell us something about yourself.” Pete suggested, the moment when Pegasus sat down at one of the tables and was reaching out for his slice of apple pie. Pegasus looked up guilty, like he was caught stealing a cookie from the cookie jar, and took his hand back. Patrick looked slightly embarrassed at Pete's attempt to socialize and whispered to him, “Bad timing.” Pete kinda realized that now. “Sorry, 'Trick.”

“I'm, uhm, Pegasus? I like music. That's all I can think of.” He admitted, while staring longing at his slice of apple pie. Patrick felt bad for him and pushed the plate nearer to him. “Eat, we'll talk later.” He said with a smile. Pegasus looked gratefully at him, before reaching for the apple pie with his fork. Pete and Patrick drank their coffees with smiles on their faces, watching their future son happily bite in his apple pie. He looked like a child on Christmas Eve receiving gifts.

“I think he has a love for food.” Pete whispered to his boyfriend with a smile. Patrick mumbled something under his breath, which Pete couldn't quite hear. “What did you say?” “I said that he looks too skinny to love food.” Pete gave the kid a look over, then leaned closer to his boyfriend and said, “His face is kinda big.” Patrick simply glared at him. “That's baby fat, Pete! I was talking about his body. If you gain weight, there goes the most to.”

“Should I look under the table?” Patrick gawked at him. “What did you just suggest, Pete?!” He questioned, cranky. “Nothing.” Pete quickly said, folding his hands together. “Was just joking, 'Trick.”  
After Pegasus was finished eating his slice of apple pie and Pete and Patrick were finished drinking their coffees, an awkward silence stretched over the group. “What now?” Pete dared to ask. Pegasus seemed to think about an answer, then actually said something. “I think it's just the three of us. I don't see my guardians anywhere. Do you?” Pete and Patrick looked around, and saw the people of childcare sitting in a corner, observing them.

“I see them, over there.” Patrick gestured to the corner where they were sitting. “Should I go over and ask for instructions?” He asked the group. Pegasus nodded as first, and Pete quickly after followed suit.

“Hello, ma'am.” Patrick greeted with a smile while hovering over the table. “Hello, Mr. Stump. May we be of help?” Jeannie's co-worker asked, returning the smile. “Yes, you can. We were wondering what we could do next?” Jeannie and her co-worker shared a look, before returning to Patrick. “Well, that depends on what you want with Pegasus.” She stated. “Do you want to keep him or are you saying no?” She went straight to the question. Patrick took a deep breath before answering, with a determined voice, “We will keep him.”

“I'm glad to hear that. Jeannie, what do you think of what they should do next?” She turned to her co-worker, who seemed to think it over. “They could rent a hotel room for a week or two and do some house searching.” Patrick froze. “House searching?” He inquired with a worried expression on his face. “Yes, house searching. Pegasus already informed us he refused to leave Chicago. All his friends are here, and he's enrolled at a school here. We agreed that it is impossible to make him leave.” She informed him with a stern voice.

Patrick blinked, before glancing over to his boyfriend. “I think me and Pete will have a talk about this. We weren't informed.” He told them, still frowning. “I would still recommend renting a room, though. So you can stay here and bond with Pegasus.” She advised him. Patrick nodded in agreement, before thanking the women and returning to the table.

When he returned to the table, Pete was staring at Pegasus. Pegasus, who seemed to ignore Pete, was chewing on some pink bubblegum. Patrick decided to take a photo of the moment for later.

“Hey guys.” Patrick greeted, trying to get their attention. Shortly after, two heads turned into his direction. “I have something to talk about.” He told them with a nervous expression on his face. Pete frowned, while Pegasus averted Patrick.

“Apparently, we're moving to Chicago, Pete.” Pete gawked at him. “But what about Hollywood? I thought you loved it there! You have your own custom build studio there, 'Trick.” He reasoned. “I know, Pete. But I've heard from childcare...” He turned his attention to Pegasus, “...That Pegasus refuses to move. So we're stuck in Chicago.” Pegasus lowered his eyes to the table.

“Most of our connections and friends live in Hollywood, 'Trick. But then again, if I have to leave for Decaydance Records, the flying time from Chicago to New York City is much shorter.” Patrick sighed. He knew it had it's advantages and disadvantages.

It stayed silence for a while, until Pegasus opened his mouth. “Can you afford a house in LAX and in Chicago?” He questioned, while his eyes moved from Pete to Patrick and back.

“Yeah, of course. Together, we can. Why do you ask?” Patrick asked, curiously. “Well, why can't you buy a family house in Chicago and keep your fancy, expensive house in LAX? It's none of my business, but we can stay in Chicago during weekdays and fly once every two weeks on Friday night to LAX. I can't fly every week, 'cause I have friends in Chicago. But if you want, we can once every two weeks if you want to LAX to spend the weekend with your friends. Or you could abandon me. More people did that.” He shrugged it off as something that was normal. Pete and Patrick stared at him with pity in their eyes, feeling guilty to speak their problems out loud in front of their soon to be son. If they would just have spoken about it with each other, they would've found the solution on their own. But now they dragged Pegasus in the problem. They felt bad.

“That... sounds alright. Yeah, I think we can do that.” Patrick spoke for him and Pete. Pete nodded in agreement. Pegasus looked from the one to the other and simply shrugged. He didn't do or say anything else on the matter. “Pete, can you still work on Decaydance stuff from Chicago?” Patrick inquired for his boyfriend's company. “Yeah, sure. It's even easier because it only takes two to three hours to fly to the office. The only disadvantage is that most bands live in Hollywood. But hey, I'm used to traveling. We can make this work. And it's much easier to get Andy, who lives in Milwaukee. And of course, we can visit Joe's townhouse in Chicago whenever we want.” He pointed out with a relieved expression on his face.

“I didn't even think of that! It would be cool to see them more often out of the studio and off tour. Chicago is the ideal place to live, then.” Pete nodded in agreement, while Pegasus kept looking from the one to the other. “So...?” He inquired with a worried expression on his face. Pete patted him on his back and comforted him, “We're moving to Chicago, kiddo. We're buying a house in this city and you're coming to live with us.” Pegasus smiled.

“Did you make a decision, misters?” Jeannie asked the couple and their soon to be son after approaching the table. Pete, Patrick and Pegasus looked briefly at each other, before turning towards childcare and nodding fiercely. “We're moving to Chicago, ma'am. And we're taking Pegasus in. Nobody will change our minds on that decision. We're determined.” They all grinned and the ladies gave their approval with a court nod towards the group.

“I'm happy to hear that. Congratulations on a great addition to your family, gentlemen.” She said, in all honestly. “Well, I think it's time we take our leave. You can come around within a month to sign the adoption papers. In case it doesn't work out. But I doubt that will happen, since I see such a great click between you three. But I suppose you never know. Good luck with finding a house, gentlemen. Good luck with your life outside the orphanage, Pegasus. Come say goodbye to the people when you have time.” With that, Jeannie and her co-worker turned around and walked out of the IKEA Restaurant & Café, leaving the group of three smiling.

“It was a great day meeting you, Pegasus. I'm glad we met.” Pete told him with a gigantic, adorable smile while having an arm around the kid. “I'm going to tell all my friends and family about they. They love you!” He tried to convince his future son of the love that would be coming his way. Pegasus was having none of it. “I don't think so. Unless their punk/emo, they're not going to like me.” He mumbled sadly.

“I'm sure they love you.” Patrick jumped in, looking at the kid with admiration. Pegasus stubbornly shook his head and said, “But I'm trouble.” Pete refused to believe that, “No, you're not. And even if you are, we gladly council with you about your trouble making. I'm sure we can find a way that will work for all three.” Pegasus sighed, but let him believe his part.

“Speaking of family... Pete, did you tell your mother in exact words you were adopting? Adopting a teenager?” Patrick asked, while giving his boyfriend a stern look that said, 'Don't lie to me.' “Uhm, about that...” Pegasus grinned and let out a tiny laugh. “I asked her about advice for raising a kid. I didn't mention that we were looking to adopt. I think she had a mother instinct, though.” He told Patrick with a grin. “Oh? She suspected that we were going to adopt a teenager?” He instantly wiped the grin of Pete's face.

“No?” He more asked than stated, with a guilty expression on his face. “I suppose we're going to visit her after we drop Pegasus off at the orphanage. Speaking of children, how old are you Pegasus?” Patrick stopped dead in his tracks in the parking garage of IKEA and looked at the kid who stopped along with him.

“I'm fourteen. Turning fifteen on the 13th of December.” He answered with a shrug. Pegasus seemed to like shrugging a lot. “Cool.” Pete answered, before wondering, “Hey, aren't we taking him home?” Patrick rolled his eyes and told him, “Our house is in Hollywood, five or six hours away from here. And we can hardly take him to an hotel with us, Pete. So I'm afraid he's going to have stay in the orphanage a bit longer, until we bought a house. You don't mind, do you?” He inquired, to which Pegasus shook his head. “Nah, I've got friends over there. They aren't there for adoption, though. They just sneaked in for me.” He shrugged it off as something normal.

“That's... cool of them.” Pete answered, not sure what he was supposed to be saying. Kids sneaking in orphanages for their friends... That's something new.

“So here's the plan – Pete, listen up – We're going to drop Pegasus off at the orphanage, then we drive to your mother and perhaps my mother.” Patrick offered up, but Pete shook his head. “I don't want to say things twice. Why don't we go to my mother and invite your mother over?” He suggested with a smile. Pegasus shrugged in agreement (can you even do that?) and gave an additional nod. “It's not our house, Pete. We have to ask her for permission.”

“Fine, I'll give her a call.” Pete fished out his mobile phone from his pocket and dialed his mother's number.

Ring... Ring... Ring... Ring...Ring- “Mrs. Wentz senior speaking. Hello, Pete.” She greeted, which Pete returned. “Hi mom. Can we come over together with Mrs. Stump and Mr. Stump?” Patrick sighed at Pete's forwardness. He could at least ask how she's was doing. “I'm doing fine, thanks for asking, son. Now, of course you can over with Mrs. Stump and Mr. Stump! I will be waiting here for you with home baked cookies. You're still in Chicago, right?” Pete nodded, although she couldn't see it, so he answered her with words. “Yeah, mom. We will pick Patrick's parents up and then drive to you and dad. See you then.” Patrick elbowed Pete, hard. “Love you, mom.” “Love you too, Pete.” They hung up.

“Here we are.” Pete breathed out, while looking at Pegasus through the rearview mirror. “Yeah. Thanks for dropping me off, Pete.” He said, while looking outside through the blackened windows. “No problem, kiddo. Have a nice day. We'll do some house searching and once we find a nice house, we'll call you and show some photos. We sadly can't take you along – yet. Me and Patrick announce the adoption news to friends and family, then to the press. You might prepare yourself for it.” Pete advised.

“Hey, Pete. You might prepare yourself, too. I've heard that the media likes to dig for news and I've got much dirt on my sleeve. Maybe we should get to know each other better before you release the news. You might not be prepared for everything I'm going to throw you way...” He mumbled. Pete only laughed loudly, while Patrick comforted him. “Believe me, Pegasus, if there's somebody willing to take on some extra 'dirt', it's Pete. He loves dirt. It's no fun, but at some point you'll just smile and ignore it all. It's going to be fun. But yes, you do have a point. If we want to be an united team, we better get all the facts right so we can back you up. During the house search, we can make some time free to have a heart to heart conversation. Thank you for the suggestion.” Patrick smiled at him, and so did Pete, who patted his knee. “It's going to be fine. Trust us.”

“Thanks for everything. See you later!” Pegasus said his goodbyes, before turning around and walking up the steps of the orphanage, where kids where glancing through the windows, smiling. It seemed like Pegasus had a handful of friends to help him when things would get tough. Pete and Patrick were relieved.

Together, they drove away.

END OF CHAPTER 2.


	3. Hey Mom, Dad

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pete and Patrick tell Mr. and Mrs. Wentz and Mrs. Stump of their adoption.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I must admit that I found the characterization of Mrs. Wentz very difficult. I'm sure she's an amazing mother, and that's why I'm disappointed in myself with how I put her in the story. So I apologize to Mrs. Wentz for how I made her act in the story. I'm truly sorry.

For Every Soul Is A Home  
Chapter 3

Knock.... Knock... Kn- 

“Peter!” His mother greeted enthusiastically when she opened the door and saw her oldest son standing there, together with his boyfriend and his parents. “And of course the lovely Mrs. Stump and Patrick.” She greeted the other guests with a less enthusiastic tone. Not that she didn't like them, but the love for her son compared to that love for others is unbelievable. 

“Please come in!” She fully opened the front door for them. “There are home baked cookies and I can make as much coffee for you as you want. Well, with an exception to Pete. He already has enough energy in his system.” She joked with a fond smile in her son's direction. “Come in!” She ushered them in.

“I'm glad you are here, Pete and Patrick. After that last conversation with my son, I got curious. It was such an odd conversation!” She exclaimed, while the guests sat down in the living room. “You had a random conversation with your son, too?” Mrs. Stump inquired with a frown upon her old face. “My son also came to me, with the question how to raise a child. We had this wonderful conversation about how he shouldn't judge a child when he met him or her for the first time and was planning to adopt him or her.” Mrs. Stump told Mrs. Wentz with much delight in her voice. 

“Oh? Did he now?” She asked, while putting her hands on her hips, while sternly watching her son and his boyfriend. Mrs. Stump copied the other woman's movements and watched the couple go down under the glances. “Mom...” Pete began, but his father interrupted him, “I'm sure there is a logical explanation, ladies. Let's get some coffee and some cookies first.” He offered. Patrick and Pete were never more happy with the old Mr. Wentz than now. Pete's mother mumbled a bit, before excusing herself to get some food and drinks. Pete and Patrick were relieved. There was still time to form the explanation. 

After Mr. Wentz's wife served food and drinks, they all sat down and drank their beverages. Then they ate some home made cookies that were baked by Mrs. Wentz and Pete's sister, Hilary, who stopped by a day ago. Pete missed her; he would talk to Patrick about it. Maybe they could visit her next. 

“You're in Chicago for business, Peter?” It was more a statement than a question, but Pete still decided to answer her. “Yeah.” He said, while Patrick kept a tight eye on him. “Decaydance business, Fall Out Boy business or other business?” Mrs. Wentz inquired, curious. “Other business, mom.” Pete answered, a short and unclear answer. He was just extremely nervous, as was Patrick. He didn't mean to be rude to anyone, but this was a big step for the couple and they wanted the step to be accepted. His mom however, didn't know and was taken back by her son's short answer. Everyone had noticed Pete's short mood and Patrick's anxiety. Mr. Wentz and Mr. Stump eyed each other warily and so did their wifes. 

“Is something amiss, Peter?” Mr. Wentz asked his son while making eye contact with his wife. Pete sighed, while reaching out for his boyfriend's hand. Once they gotten hold of each other, Pete tightened their hands together. “You ready, baby?” He asked Patrick, who gave a short nod. There they go.

“There's nothing amiss, dad.” Pete answered, while searching for his father's eyes. “Then why are you so cold towards us, Peter?” They just loved to call him Peter, didn't they? “It's just... me and Patrick are nervous. Aren't we, 'Trick?” He looked to his boyfriend, who was shaking against his side. Patrick only nodded in response. 

“Sweetie...” Mrs. Stump whispered to her son, who was looking at the floor. His hands were still intertwined with Pete's. “Mom, I love you.” He smiled at her. Mrs. Stump eyed him warily and thought of the worst. “Are you sick, honey?” Patrick shook his head and said, “No mom, just nervous. Nervous to make this life changing announcement because once I do, everything will start to process. Then everything becomes real.” Everyone looked at Patrick in wonder. “Did you hit someone while driving, Patrick?” Mrs. Wentz then asked. She remembered the time when one of her friends hit a kid on the streets. He was dead when her friend stepped out of the car. Her friend couldn't believe it either, and she said something that once the world knew, everything became real. 

“What? No, mom! He didn't hit anyone. Nobody is sick or got in an accident. We have happy news. ...That does consist of the law.” It was silent. Everyone seemed to process the last pieces of information. “If I heard it correctly, it isn't bad news and it involves the law. To me, that sounds as... adoption work or wedding bells.” Mr. Wentz stated. Mrs. Stump and Mrs. Wentz both gasped, while “Oh god, please tell me you're doing both!” Mrs. Wentz prayed. “Get married and then go to China to adopt a child. Please, do that!” She begged, while reaching for her husband's hand and clutching it tightly, while Mr and Mrs Stump did the same. 

“Mom, dad and Mrs. Stump... we are not getting married.” Pete announced, before adding, “I hadn't gathered the guts to go on one knee. Maybe in the future.” He turned his head and stared loving in his boyfriend's eyes. “We, however, are adopting.” Patrick then announced with a gigantic grin on his face, while still holding Pete's gaze. 

Gasps were heard from two very excited, emotional ladies. And besides that, one laugh of happiness. The only thing that missed from this picture was Patrick's father, David. But he couldn't have his mother and dad both in the same room after the divorce. Not that they hated each other, but it would just make things awkward. His mother would hug his dad in a spur of the moment and then they would both realize that and then, BOOM. Awkwardness ensued. Patrick and Pete had really thought about inviting Mr. Stump.

“That's great news, honey!” Mrs. Wentz exclaimed while getting teary eyed, as did Mrs. Stump. “I'm proud of you, son. Not of the fact you chickened out on proposing, but on the fact you've matured enough to become a daddy. I'm really proud.” Mr. Wentz whispered the last part, but Pete and Patrick still heard it. Pete gave his father a court nod and a soft, “Thank you.” 

“So... when are you flying to China to adopt?” Mrs. Wentz inquired while moving around in her seat a bit. Mr. Wentz stopped her though, and said, “The baby doesn't necessary have to come from China, dear. We've got lovely children here in America, too.” His wife looked at him in wonder and argued, “Yes, but those are from teen moms! We do not want to support teen pregnancy, Peter.” She gave him a stern look, which made Pete give a nervous laugh. 

“It's a child from the USA, sorry to disappoint you, mom.” Pete finally said, before more discussions broke out between his mom and dad. His mother blinked and opened her mouth, but then wisely decided to close it. Pete's dad looked relieved. “Well, at least the bullying is less.” Peter Wentz II looked ready to slaughter his wife. “Dale!” He exclaimed, which made her stop.

“I'm sorry, I'm usually much nicer, Patrick. It's just... Pete left me worried that he knocked a girl up from back then. When he wasn't so loyal. I'm just trying to protect him. I'm sure American babies are lovely, too. I don't know what I was thinking, honey. I apologize. I shouldn't judge cultures so much. I bet those teen moms don't know what they're getting at, either. Poor women.” Dale whispered, while lowering her head. Mr. Wentz rubbed her back and said, “I'm sure they and every teen mom forgives you, sweetheart.” He guaranteed. “Yeah mom, I'm sure it's alright with them.”

“A child. The two of you. How lovely!” Mrs. Stump exclaimed, with honest excitement. “Is it going to be a he or a she or haven't you decided yet? Or can't you choose?” Pete and Patrick had to blink a couple of times before the questions were processed. “Uhm. It's going to be a he. We've got a candidate. I'm not sure if you can choose? They already had a candidate when Pete walked into the government building.” Pete interfered with the story. “Well, that's not completely true.” He admitted.

“I had to fill in a couple of papers at the government building before I had the procedures talk. Like, do you want a son or daughter? And some personal information, like what's your background. Kinda strange, because they already have all the information about you, don't you?” He questioned. His dad answered, “It's to check if you're trustworthy, son. But I'm hearing that there's already something going on. You went through the procedures?” Pete nodded.

“After one of our shows, I got so pissed off at the world. I just wanted to have a family of my own. So I called my lawyers and told them what I wanted. They called childcare and suddenly, I had to fill in all kinds of paper works. And within a couple of months, I had an invitation for a audience with a woman named Lucy. I went over there and we had a talk about Ativan and me skipping school and then we went to the questions. It was more complicated than usual, because I admitted I hadn't told Patrick I went through this process. It caused quite a stir. But here we are, announcing we are becoming parents.” 

“You actually had it easy, son. First, there's official stuff, like if your house is safe, then there's loads of paperwork and then they check if your an appropriate parents. Then everything starts to really begin, and that paperwork already takes months. And then it can take years before they find you a kid. But I suppose your fame has its benefits.” Mr. Wentz seemed surprised at the quickness of how it happened, and a bit sore about the fame. 

“Yeah, I suppose so.” Pete answered, shrugging. Pegasus had to stop a giggle. Everyone turned to look at him. “What is so funny, honey?” His mother asked. “Oh, nothing special. He reminded of somebody who shrugged a lot during our first meeting. Remember that, Pete?” Patrick asked, with twinkling eyes. “Oh yeah! He shrugged an awful lot. It's the new cool.” Mrs. Swift and Mr and Mrs Wentz stared in wonder at the couple's interactions. 

“Back to the adoption...” Mrs. Wentz said, after a fake cough. “How old is he?” She inquired while leaning closer to the couple. Pete and Patrick eyed each other, before coming back to her. “Fourteen years old is he. Turning fifteen on the 13th of December.” Pete casually answered. The group of parents blinked. “Fourteen months old, you mean?” Patrick and Pete shook their heads. “Really fourteen years, Mrs. Stump. We're adopting a teenager.” 

Silence.

“A teenager you say? Oh darling, I remember when you were fourteen. You were causing a mess everywhere. I don't know what was worse, your room when you were that age or when you tried to help me in the kitchen when you were very little. The flour went everywhere!” She exclaimed. “Maybe it isn't that worse, Dale. Maybe he's more like Patrick, who helped me out with groceries at that age. I must admit that his room wasn't that clean either, but it could have been worse.”

“Tell us something about him.” Mr. Wentz urged, looking quite alarmed. “Why did they connect you?” Pete and Patrick shared a look and asked, “Pete, do you know why he was connected to us?” Pete nodded. “He had a problem with pills in the past and he loves punk music, like me. That's it.”

All three parents closed their eyes in horror. “Oh God...” Mrs. Wentz whispered. “Because you swallowed some pills yourself honey, doesn't mean that you're an expert.” She opened her eyes again, and so did Mrs. Stump. “And Peter, I don't think Patrick wants to go through that again. Don't break his heart, sweetheart.” She told him sternly. “Mom, he isn't going to break our hearts. When we met him, he seemed okay. I think I would recognize someone who swallows pills. If it makes you feel better, I can call childcare and ask if he's addicted. And even then, me and Patrick...” He turned to Patrick, who finished his sentence, “...Are hooked. We are determined to adopt him.” Pete nodded in agreement. 

“I call childcare this instant. Give me a second.”

Pete searched the number of Lucy and then rang the number. Ring... Ring... Ring... Ring... Ring... “With Lucy of the section Adoption. How may I help you?” A female asked through the line. Pete decided to put her on speaker. “Hey, with Pete Wentz here. You're on speaker. I just told them the news of our adoption and we were wondering how bad Pegasus's pill problem is.” Three pair of eyes went to stare at him. “It isn't bad, Mr. Wentz. He took them when he was under the age of ten years old. He asked an adult in a bad neighborhood to order him some pills in return for some stolen money, then ran away with the whole bottle once he had gotten hold of them. It won't happen again. He realized what it did with him and how much people cared about him. He never took them again. He stopped pills and alcohol together. You could say that he had most of the teenager problems already. I promise you Mr. Wentz, it won't occur again. I have faith in Pegasus. It'll be fine.” 

Pete took a deep breath of relief, as did Patrick who was still sitting next to him. “Thank you. This helps me a lot. And if it happens again, I will be there for him. I promise.” Next to him, he felt Patrick shuffle closer to the phone and heard him saying, “I will be there for him too, I promise.” Patrick's voice was hoarse. He seemed upset. “Hey baby, are you okay?” Pete kissed his boyfriend's head. “Yeah, just remembering 2005.” Pete heard all the pained sighs coming from the room and sighed himself. “Me too. I'm sorry, 'Trick. It will never happen again. Especially now we're getting a child together. I promise, 'Trick.” Patrick nodded. “I trust you.” 

“Is that all, gentlemen?” The lady at the other end of the line asked, worried. “Yes, that's all what we needed to know. Thank you. Have a nice day.” Pete said, before hanging up.

“Pegasus, huh?” Pete's father inquired, looking mildly alerted. “Yeah, Pegasus. He didn't like his former name. Won't say what it was, 'cause I care about his dignity. But it was funny, very funny.” Pete laughed, while Patrick elbowed him in the ribs. “I swear I won't tell anybody, Pete. Just whisper it in my ear.” Pete fiercely shook his head and said, “Honor!” Patrick rolled his eyes.

“To sum it all up: you're adopting a fourteen year old teenager named Pegasus who loves punk music.” Pete and Patrick nodded enthusiastically. “Isn't that beautiful, Dale and Peter?” They blinked. “Well, I suppose there is some beauty in it.” Mr. Wentz opted, while Mrs. Wentz said, “I cannot wait to meet him!” She looked truly excited, the opposite of her husband. Mrs. Stump seemed pretty peachy, too. 

“So what is the next undertaking, darlings?” Mrs. Stump asked, looking curious. “We're going to look for a house in Chicago.” Pete said happily while tightening his hold on his boyfriend's hand. “You're moving back?” Three happy faces looked at the couple, who nodded eagerly. “Pegasus has friends here and is enrolled at a school in Chicago. We can't make him move. Besides, it'll be good of us to live among friends and family. Right, dad?” Pete looked at his father, who smiled right back at him. “It's going to be a delight to have you living closer to us, Pete.” His mother nodded in agreement.

“Are you looking for a house in Wilmette or in Glenview?” Mrs. Stump wondered, while looking at the couple with excited eyes. The couple looked at each other, before both answering, “Glenview.” Once that was said, they looked funnily at each other. “You too, Glenview?” Pete asked. “How do you mean, 'you too?' I had suspected you to say Wilmette!” Patrick exclaimed in surprise. “Well, I know how much you miss your mother. So I thought, it would be nice to have them together once again.” Patrick smiled, but put a note in the back of his head to ask Pete more about it. “Thank you, Pete.” He whispered, and kissed Pete. Pete kissed enthusiastically back. 

“Enjoy it now you can, honey. I remember you always objecting to me kissing your dad. I bet your son will do so, too. Watch out, dear. Before you know it, you'll be begging for some one-on-one time.” She wrinkled her nose by the thought of it. “Ew, mom! That's disgusting for you to think about. And I think Pegasus will be okay with it. He's a cool kid.” Patrick objected, “I don't think he's that cool, Pete. And it's for the best. Wouldn't it be weird if he just accepted it? I heard of kids that watch their parents kiss. We don't want that, really.” Patrick wrinkled his nose, just like Dale had done seconds ago. Pete simply shrugged.

“You're really beginning to look like Pegasus, Pete. With all that shrugging. He isn't even living with us yet and he's rubbing off on you. It's hilarious.” Pete glared at his boyfriend. Then he glanced at the clock hanging on the wall and turned to Patrick, “I think we should go. It's been a long day, with us meeting Pegasus and telling our parents.” Patrick nodded in agreement, then stood up. 

“Thanks for the beverages and the cookies, Mrs. Wentz.” He gave a court nod in her direction. “Yeah, thanks mom. We truly appreciate it.” He gave her a sweet smile, before following Patrick to the hallway. There they said their last goodbyes, before going outside and inside the car.

“Hey, Pete.” Patrick said after five minutes. “Why Glenview?” Pete sighed, before answering, “Because my mom has my dad and your mom has nobody. I'm sorry to say that, 'Trick.” Patrick sighed. “That's the truth, Pete. You don't have to apologize for it. I think it's sweet of you.” He kissed Pete on his forehead. 

“Hey, don't distract the driver. You can distract me whenever you like at home, but not now. Naughty Patrick.” He smiled at his boyfriend through the rearview mirror. 

Life was good.

END OF CHAPTER 3.


	4. Retelling A Story

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pete and Patrick visit Joe, his girlfriend Marie and Andy. There, Pete learns the rules of parenting of what he can and can't do. Pete and Patrick have two important conversations.

For Every Soul Is A Home  
Chapter 4

“Hey there.” Patrick greeted his boyfriend the next morning from the king sized bed in their hotel room. “I hope the hotel doesn't mind that we refreshed the sheets last night....” He mumbled. Pete laughed and said, “Nah. At least we were decent enough to clean them.” 

“What else did you want to do? Lay in our... ew.” Pete laughed again. “It was good stuff.” Patrick threw a pillow at him, after he sat straight up in their bed. “Dirty freak!” He joked with a grin.

“To think that was one of the last times... Oh God, 'Trick, I'm not going to survive that.” Patrick was the one laughing this time. “I'm sure it's bearable, Pete. And remember: we'll get something more beautiful than that back.” Pete grinned from behind the desk in the hotel room, although Patrick couldn't see that. “Hey, I'm going to take a shower. Be right back.”

Once Patrick was finished taken a shower, he went back to the bedroom. There he found Pete still working on his laptop. “Hey Pete, what are you doing?” Patrick wasn't a curious guy, but with the adoption coming closer, he couldn't afford any surprises. “Oh nothing. Just answering some business mails and thinking about houses.” He answered back, still fully focused on the screen. “Hmm... Some interesting mails out there?” Patrick inquired while plopping down on the bed. “Nah. They mostly consist of Gabe's lame jokes. I bet he'll do the same to our kid in the future. Poor, poor Pegasus.” Pete mumbled. 

“Hey, when are we telling our friends and co-workers about Pegasus?” Patrick asked, while getting dressed. “I set up an online meeting scheduled for over three days. Don't worry, 'Trick.” Pete assured him, fiercely typing away on his laptop. Patrick frowned at the sight while pulling his shirt over his head. “Is Gabe keeping you very occupied?” Was his next question. “Yeah, he kinda is. Very lame jokes, 'Trick. Oh wait! Now's he's informing about the social Skype chat I set up.”

Patrick wanted to ask what Gabe was asking, but he was interrupted by a knock on the door. “Who could that be?” Pete asked, to which Patrick answered, “Probably someone from Island Records. I asked them to print out a photo from my phone.” Pete looked up from his laptop, curious. “What photo?” He asked, but Patrick was occupied opening the door.

“Hello.” Patrick greeted politely. In front of him stood a delivery guy who was assigned to the band and who was stationed in New York City. “I've got the envelope with the photo in it.” The guy waved the envelope around in the air. “Thanks. Can I have it?” Patrick asked. “Of course, Mr. Here you go.” The guy handed the envelope over to Patrick. “Have a good day, sir. I'll be in Chicago for a couple of days, call me when you need me.” With that, he was gone. 

“What's in the envelope, 'Trick?” Pete asked, full of excitement. Patrick grinned and said, “A photo. You'll see it during the Skype meeting, Pete. Just wait three days.” He aded a wink for the effect. “That's not fair, 'Trick! I want to see it.” Pete pouted, but Patrick ignored it. “What if I give you a treat afterwards?” Now Pete winked at Patrick. Patrick rolled his eyes and said, “You planned on giving me a 'treat' even before the envelope arrived. I'm not falling for that, Pete. Just wait, alright?” Pete shut his mouth and nodded bravely. 

“Good. Now what's on the list of what do next?” Patrick inquired, with crossed arms. “I bet Joe's back at his Chicago townhouse. And I bet that Andy's there, too.” Pete told Patrick with a grin. “Wanna crash the place, sugar?” Patrick rolled his eyes and said, “Never call me 'sugar' again, Wentz.” Pete only grinned harder. “Let's get going.” Patrick put on his shoes, as did Pete, and the two left the hotel in silence, with Pete grinning like an idiot.   
Since Patrick nor Pete nor anybody of the record label had announced their sudden visit to Chicago, there was no paparazzi outside of the hotel. The couple was relieved. The media could've caught up on their IKEA trip with a random teenager (although he wasn't that random). 

The car trip was silent. Pete was busy driving and Patrick was too busy playing off the events from the day before. They both looked forward to telling Joe and Andy bits and pieces from their IKEA trip. It took them some traffic to get there, but they got there. 

Pete excitedly rang the doorbell, while Patrick stood behind him, tapping his feet from enthusiasm. Soon, the door was opened by Marie, Joe's girlfriend. It seemed like she was visiting Joe. “Hey, are Joe and Andy in?” She nodded and opened the door further open for them. “Come in.” She kindly said. The couple liked her a lot. They followed her through the hallway and into the living room, where Andy and Joe sat babbling. “Hey guys!” 

Andy and Joe looked up from their conversation and smiled at the sight of their friends. “Hey, there are the new dads! Or didn't it go through?” Andy asked, his smile dropping. “It went... amazing! Right, 'Trick?” Patrick nodded enthusiastically. “It really did. We had this amazing click. I think we got along pretty well.” He confessed, with a tiny smile on his face. Andy and Joe started to smile again, looking very happy for their friends. 

“What does your son look like?” Andy asked, while leaning closer to the couple. “Uhm. Yeah, what does he look like, 'Trick? I was too amazed to pay attention to him.” Pete grinned happily. 

“Hey, Pete, can you leave the room for a second?” Pete looked up to Patrick with a surprised expression, “Why?” He asked. Patrick simply said, “Because I've got to show them something.” Pete shrugged and said, “Okay.”, and left the room. He trusted Patrick, so... It was probably nothing serious. 

Not that it was serious; Patrick just wanted to show the contents of the envelope he had brought along to his friends. “Should I follow Pete?” Marie asked kindly. Joe looked up to her, smiled, and said, “Yes, if you could do that, before he breaks anything.” The last part was a joke. Joe trusted Pete not to break something. Those days were behind and only came back on stage. “Be right back.” Marie said, then gave Joe a kiss on the cheek. 

After she left, both guys leaned even closer to Patrick. “So, what's going on?” Patrick grinned and said, “How about you take a look?” He opened the envelope and took the photo he took at IKEA out. There they were; Pete either staring at Pegasus or at the other people in the Restaurant and Pegasus with bubblegum in his mouth, which he just stopped chewing the moment Patrick captured the moment. Patrick smiled at the thought.

Andy and Joe took a couple of minutes to scan the photo with their eyes. “Wow. That really looks like a kid of you and Pete.” Joe whispered, amazed. “Does Pete know you've got this photo? Because if he knows, I wouldn't be surprised to see this passed on to every friend Pete has. And he has a lot of friends, Patrick.” Andy said, while still scanning the photo. “He has this really adorable daydream expression on his face. It's really fascinating.” Joe noted. 

“Pete does not know I took this photo. I'm going to show it to him and all his friends during the Skype chat he set up.” Patrick explained. “Oh yeah. We got an invitation to the chat. I'm looking forward to it. I saw that The Academy Is..., Paramore, Cobra Starship and Gym Class Heroes are added, too. Can't wait for the chat. It's going to be fun to see their reactions.” Andy said. Joe was still staring at the photo, while Andy was observing Patrick closely. Patrick wasn't really listening to anything Andy said, because he was too busy smiling at the photo.

“You took it better than I expected, man. I thought Pete would be all over the kid and you sitting at the sidelines, but I see that I didn't estimate the situation well enough. It seems that the kid hit a soft spot.” Andy observed, while still eyeing Patrick. Patrick began to look up from the photo and looked up to his friend. “Yeah, I think that too. He's really cool, you know. I liked the fact he was so relaxed. That makes me really happy.” Patrick was still smiling. “Shall we get Pete back in?” Patrick nodded, then took the photo from Joe's hands and put it back in the envelope.

“So, what did I miss?” Pete asked once he was back in the room and once Marie had closed the door behind him. “Nothing, man. Patrick described the kid to us. He sounds awesome.” Joe lied, which made Patrick glad. “He's cool, isn't he? And he has an awesome clothing style! Maybe we can make Clandestine Industries a family business.” He offered, which made the guys look at each other. “If that's what you want, Pete...” Joe began, but Andy shook his head. “I think you should get to know each other first before you push all kind of stuff into the kid's hands, Pete. We, as your friends, can handle this, but your future son is just a kid. Leave him alone in the beginning, Wentz. Give him some space to breathe.” 

Pete didn't like his friends to interfere, but he let it slide. “Alright, if you say so.” He shrugged. “But I think he'll make a great clothing designer.” Everyone sighed. “Sure, if you say so.” Joe mumbled. Nobody, except for Pete, looked happy with the idea of Pegasus becoming a clothing designer. 

“What's the name of the kid?” Joe inquired. He heard a couple of things about the kid, but hadn't heard what his name was. He was curious, as was Andy. “Pegasus. Pegasus is his name.” Pete told proudly. Andy and Joe gave each other a look when they heard that. “Pegasus?” Joe asked with raised eyebrows. “That's his name.” Patrick confirmed. “Oh.” Joe said. “That's... an unique name.” He stated. “His old name is much worse.” Pete gossiped, embarrassing Pegasus, although the kid wasn't there. “Oh, what was it?” Joe inquired, with a grin on his face.

“We don't have to know, Joe.” Andy put a halt to Pete answering. “I'm sure that if he wants us to know, he will tell us himself.” Andy had heard of embarrassing names parents gave their kids. It wasn't fun for those kids. He stood up for each of them. “We were just having a laugh, dude.” Pete defended himself and Joe. “Yeah, but at what cost?” Andy questioned.

“What crawled up your ass and died, Hurley?” Patrick sighed. “I'm just trying to defend your kid's honor, Wentz. I don't think he would like it that you're making jokes about his old name. I think he changed it for a reason, don't you agree?” Pete was silent. 

“Let's put a stop to this conversation, guys.” Patrick offered, looking from the one to the other. He didn't like one bit where this conversation was heading towards. Neither did Joe, who felt guilty for asking. He kinda took Andy's side, as did Patrick. 

“Who wants cookies?” Marie then asked, trying to help Patrick out. “Me!” Joe said, raising two arms in the air. “I'd love some cookies, Marie.” Andy said, with a tiny smile. Pete politely shook his head, which made Patrick shake his head, too. “I think we're going, Marie. We're supposed to look at houses.” He informed her, while copying Andy's tiny smile.

“Houses?” Joe asked, surprised, as were Marie and Andy. “We're moving back to Chicago.” Patrick announced happily. Pete still looked like a rejected puppy. “That's great news!” Joe exclaimed, looking very happy with the news. “I can't wait to have you back here. It'll be some much easier than having to fly to each other. And hey, Andy lives close, too.” Andy nodded. “I'm happy for you. Chicago is a good town for teenagers.” 

“We hadn't really a choice. Pegasus simply refused to move.” Patrick confessed. “He has all his friends here, and is enrolled to a school in Chicago. We couldn't ask him to move, to be honest.” Joe and Andy nodded, understanding. “How old is he?” Joe asked. “Fourteen. Bad age to move, huh?” Patrick answered, which made the two guys nod. Marie, meanwhile, was gathering cookies from the kitchen. “Yeah. To which area?” Was the next question, directed at Patrick. “Glenview. The choice was between Wilmette or Glenview. Pete and I both chose Glenview. My mom is kinda lonely.” He admitted shyly. Joe and Andy smiled at him. “Good choice, man.” Joe complimented.

“Here are the cookies.” Marie arrived with a plate full of chocolate chip cookies. Patrick chose that moment to take that as his and Pete's cue to leave. “Thank you for your hospitality, Joe and Marie. Me and Pete have to go. We have to find a house before they all sell.” Patrick joked, with a smile directed at the other couple and Andy. “We understand that, man. If you find something, send us a message. We'd love to help you out finding a house.” Andy said, to which Joe added, “Hey, I can go ask around if you'd like that.” 

“We would appreciate that, right Pete?” Pete nodded, with his arms crossed. “We have no idea what we are looking for; we don't even know how many floors we want or how many bedrooms.” Patrick confessed, which made Marie laugh. “When a friend looked for a house with her boyfriend when she was expecting, they went to so much different houses, it was insane. Trust me, you know it when you have the right house for your family. And if you don't mind my advice, I would first go alone as a couple when you're sightseeing a house. Then take Pegasus for a look and then, as final help, Joe and Andy. I'm sure you'll have three helpful reviews afterwards.” Marie recommended with a sweet smile. Patrick nodded gratefully. 

“Well, we take our leave now. Thank you for your advice, Marie. We'll text or email you when when we found something.” Patrick promised, then proceeded to drag Pete outside and into the car. He threw the door close with a BAM!

After a minute or two, when Patrick stopped for a traffic light, he opened his mouth and brutally asked, “What got on your mind, Pete? What's making you shut up?” The light turned green. Patrick quickly hit the gas pedal. “It's just.. you wouldn't understand it, 'Trick. I just want pretty things for my son, like a good income and you just don't understand it. And hey, aren't you supposed to tell funny things about your kids to other people?” Pete sighed. 

“Of course I understand it, Pete. But we haven't even signed the papers and you're already creating dreams and plans for our son. Maybe he just wants to live for a bit before he gets serious. And about that whole making fun thing, it's okay to tell about silly things your kid did, but not to make fun of him. He's your kid, not some dumb kid from another person.” Pete sighed again. “I kinda get it now. Thanks, 'Trick. You're always there for me when I lose it. I always push things, don't I?” Pete sulked. Patrick took a deep breath before answering.

“Pete, I love you, but sometimes you get caught up in something. It's like every time you create a music video idea. You go absolutely ape shit. It's good that you have people around you who put a stop to it. We love you, but we have to be realistic: sometimes you lose it. But we don't care, we love you. But we do have to put a stop on it.” Patrick summed it all up for him. Pete was grateful. “I would lose Pegasus if I started rambling to him, wouldn't I?”

“Pete, the thing is, we're older. We know how to handle you. But Pegasus is just a kid who... who goes to concerts, stalks bands and listens to music and doesn't think about the big world out there. His whole world would come crashing down if you would put all your thoughts into his tiny head. He just can't handle it. He'll run away, Pete. I'm sorry. Maybe he'll understand when he's older.” Pete sighed. “Okay, I can deal with that. Yeah, it's fine. I think I already got lucky by getting such a cool kid who might understand me in the future. That's really rare, 'Trick. I know he'll understand me when he's older. I'm glad I didn't get a partying, pregnant teenage girl or something like that.” They both laughed at the thought. “I can already see you running around with diapers, Pete. Can you imagine that? 'Don't pee on that!' And you would keep running behind the little baby she would have had and you and I would sit endless hours on the couch, comforting her because the daddy ran away and her latest boyfriend broke up with her. I can totally imagine that.” 

Pete and Patrick shared a look full of love. “Thank you.” Pete said, and reached for Patrick's hand on the gear shift. They held hands, until Patrick had to let go. 

At some point, they reached the hotel. They both got out and went inside, but not before pulling Pete's hoodie over his head and tightening Patrick's trucker hat on his head. They greeted the receptionist, then headed straight for the elevator. Back in their hotel room, Pete grabbed his laptop (who he accidentally had left in the room) from the desk and sat down next to Patrick, who had plopped down onto the bed. 

Pete was just about to start looking for houses when Patrick put a hand on his shoulder and said, “I know we just returned to the hotel, but do you want to get some food for lunch?” Pete looked up from his laptop and nodded. “Yeah, let's go.” In the end, they went to a tiny restaurant in Wilmette near Pete's parents were they used to come a lot. There, they ate lunch. Afterwards they went to a tiny internet café/coffee shop and ordered coffee and browsed through houses.

After hours and hours of browsing, with a few candidates for houses, they went for dinner. They found a nice Italian place and sat down in a corner. There they ate dinner and Pete had a laugh at headlines of the paparazzi who were looking for them throughout Chicago. They had seen their fly tickets and now knew where the couple was, but not exactly where. Chicago and suburbs where gigantic; but then again, paparazzi was bloody annoying.

“Hey, 'Trick, when do you think they will find us?” Pete whispered, showing Patrick some internet pages. Patrick shrugged and answered, “I hope never.” They shared a smile. “I love the rockstar life, but I already love the family life more.” Pete admitted in a whisper. “If you love it so much Pete, then why not give it a try and decide in say... November where you want Fall Out Boy to be in your life.” Pete looked loving in Patrick eyes and said, “Let's do that, baby. Let's see how the family life is for us. Then, in November, we decide if Fall Out Boy is going on hiatus or not. But one thing is sure: Fall Out Boy will come back if there's going to be a hiatus. Maybe after a year of break, maybe after ten years. But FOB will never be over.” 

“Then we think the same over the subject. Hiatus is fine, until Pegasus is of age. And that would be... end 2012. How about that?” Pete nodded. “Deal.” They closed the deal off with a handshake and a sneaky kiss.


	5. A Beautiful, Odd Day.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pete and Patrick take Pegasus out for breakfast. Things then happen quickly after. One of those things is Andy and Joe meeting Pegasus and the couple taking Pegasus house searching.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is my favorite chapter. It comes with pictures and everything. I hope you like it as much as I do! Please comment.

For Every Soul Is A Home  
Chapter 5

The next day the couple decided to take their future son out for breakfast. They had called the orphanage the night before and arranged for him to be ready in the morning.

“You ready, 'Trick?” Pete asked his boyfriend when he was putting on his coat. Patrick already had his coat on, but was fussing with his shoes. “Yes, nearly so far.” He finished tying his laces and stood up straight. “Ready.” He said.

The two then left for Pegasus's orphanage. There, they parked in the car and waited. At some point, Jeannie, the woman from IKEA, and Pegasus left the orphanage. A bunch of kids were pressed to the windows again. Jeannie knocked upon the backseat door, then after a couple of seconds opened the door and pressed Pegasus into the car. She then proceeded to stick her head in the car, search for Pete and Patrick and smile at them. “Have fun!” She said, then retrieved her head from the car and closed the door.

“Hey, kiddo.” Pete greeted cheerfully, while Patrick went for a court nod via the rearview mirror. “Hey Pete, Patrick.” Pegasus greeted back with a little wave via the same mirror Patrick used. “How's it going?” He inquired politely. Patrick could appreciate that. “Good. We're doing good. It's a beautiful day.” Patrick answered.

“How are you doing?” He questioned. Pegasus seemed to need some time to think about an (appropriate) answer. “Uhm... I'm doing okay, I suppose. My friends are kinda upset that I'm leaving the orphanage and have being clinging to me more than they used to do. It's kinda awkward and making me uncomfortable. Just to make sure: I can still see my friends, right?” He raised an eyebrow. “Yes, of course!” Patrick exclaimed. “You can see them whenever you like. Just... don't hang around in bad neighborhoods. And don't do dangerous stuff. That are the rules, though.” Patrick told Pegasus. Pegasus nodded, he could see it via the rearview mirror.

“I can't promise either from the two though. But if making you think I will keep to the rules will make you feel better, go ahead. It's not that I don't want to, but I've got business in bad zones and there often happens dangerous stuff.” Pegasus shrugged it off. “It's normal.” He added. Patrick didn't feel relaxed anymore.

The rest of the trip to the restaurant went in silence. Pete nor Patrick felt like talking after the revelation that their future kid liked to look up danger. They still wanted him, though. They just had to make sure to keep an eye on him. Every parent of a teenager had to go through, didn't they? It was normal.

Once they parked the car near the restaurant, Pegasus jumped out of the car. Pete and Patrick quickly followed suit. “You were quickly out there, kiddo.” Pete noted. Patrick nodded in agreement. “I don't like cars. You're helpless in there.” Pegasus confessed, looking not to pleased that his fear of cars was discovered. “Yeah, you kinda are. But you get used to it, don't worry.” Pete comforted him. Now, let's go to the restaurant!

“Inside or outside?” Pete asked the group once they stood in front of the restaurant. “Outside.” Both guys answered. “Then it's outside.” Outside, they only discovered one problem: one table had only two chairs. “I'll grab a chair for Patrick.” Pete said, but Patrick held him back and said, “That's rude, Pete. Those people obviously put thought into arranging the tables like that, with only two seats a table. Don't disturb it. It looks great this way. I'll just sit behind you, at another table.” Pete shut his mouth, shrugged, then let him and Pegasus to a table. There they sat. Patrick at the other table, Pegasus in the middle and Pete at the right.

“I'm going to get something to eat. What do you want, Pegasus?” Patrick asked his soon to be son. “Do they have a breakfast egg muffin?” Pegasus asked, before turning around and facing Patrick. “I'll check. Pete, what do you want?” Pete shrugged, “Surprise me.” It earned a tiny laugh from Pegasus, who imagined what kind of food Pete would get. Pete and Patrick smiled lovingly at their future child.

A while later, Patrick came back after ordering. Some time later, the food arrived. The butler put the food down by the right person, then left. The group of three sat in silence afterwards. Pegasus was staring at something, as was Pete. Patrick just stared straight ahead.

  
“So... I have no idea what Patrick ordered,” Pete said, honest. “I don't have a clue either, Pete. I just said, 'My boyfriend wants to be surprised'. Then they gave you this. I have no clue on what it is.” Patrick confessed, which made Patrick and Pegasus laugh. “I knew it!” Pegasus exclaimed triumphantly. “I knew they were going to give you something... odd. Look at it.” He pointed at something on Pete's plate. Pete eyed it warily, then grabbed a fork and stuck in it.

“And, what is it?” Pegasus asked, curious. “Fish?” Pete tried, which made Pegasus laugh. “It looks like dirt liquid, man. That's not fish.” Pete shrugged. “I'll just eat it.” Pete started to eat, which made Pegasus stare at his own egg muffin. “Well, I suppose I'll better start too, if I don't want to eat cold breakfast.” Patrick, at the other table, had already on his breakfast and at the same time, had been listening to the conversation at the other table. He was smiling. It went well.

While they were eating, Patrick stood up and took a photo of Pete and Patrick. It was cute. He'd use it for the Skype chat in two days.

They were silent when they were eating. Chewing and eating didn't go well together. After breakfast, the group stared at each other. “This was nice...” Pegasus said. “Yeah, it was. But I don't really want it to end...” Pete mumbled. Patrick silently agreed. “Hey, maybe you could show me the houses you've been looking at?” Pegasus suggested, with a shrug. “Oh yeah! That's a good idea. Let's go to an internet café.” They all stood up and walked to the car – in silence. Pegasus wasn't much of a talker.

When they arrived at the nearest internet café, Pete fished out his laptop from the bag he had left in the car accidentally. He had planned earlier on to go to a Starbucks with Patrick to check on houses, therefore the laptop. But this was even better!

He went to the owner and bought some internet time with his laptop, then went to the table Pegasus and Patrick had chosen. “Got Internet.” Pete announced, then sat down next to Pegasus. Patrick was sitting opposite of them. Pete logged in on his laptop, then went to the website that sold Glenview real estate. Pete just begin with scrolling through houses to look for the houses he had seen, when Pegasus put a halt to his scrolling.

“Wow! Look at that house.” He exclaimed, and excitedly pointed at two photos of a house. “It has a swimming pool!” He said, sounding very happy. Pete looked at the two photos, as did Patrick.

There, on the biggest photo, was the front of the house. It had a garage and in the front a small stroke of swimming pool as decoration. In the middle of a house was a hole. Maybe a courtyard? Pete was curious. The house had a roof that went up and down, which fascinated Pegasus deeply. There was obviously put some thought into the house.

The group then looked at the other photo, that showed a swimming pool and the inside of the living room. It looked stunningly. Pegasus stared in amazement at the photo while biting on his thumb. “Look at that, what a beauty. And from what a beautiful corner it was taken.” He mumbled. Pete and Patrick had to agree with their future son; it looked stunning.

  
“Did you look at this house earlier on?” Pegasus questioned, to which Pete answered, “No. It was put online... today. A couple of hours ago.” He mumbled back. “Patrick, what do you think?” He turned around to ask his boyfriend, who had stood up from his seat and sneaked behind them to catch a look at the house. “Click on the photos, Pete. I got to see more.” Pete clicked on the photos.

On the page of the house stood a detailed photo/drawing of the house, with furniture and everything.

 

 

Pete read aloud, “House comes with furniture if wanted. It is ready for the buyer to move in instantly.” Patrick nodded approvingly. “It has three bedrooms. From the looks of it, one with a single bed and two double beds. There are two bathrooms, both with a toilet. I can't see if there are two showers or one. There's a bath. The building consists of a kitchen, two sitting areas, a dinner area and some sort of courtyard with a couch in it. Outside, there's a swimming pool and a garage.”

Pegasus grinned from ear to ear. “Wow. That's one hell of a building.” He stated. “It's cool to see houses like that. I don't often look at houses, 'cause I get all disappointed and stuff, as do my friends. But it's still cool to think about how they created the house. I like this house; it looks beautiful. I'd take it with all the furniture in it.” He confessed. Patrick and Pete looked at each other.

“What would you say if... we bought the house?” Pete offered cautious. Pegasus slowly turned his head to his soon to be father. “You're kidding me, right?” Pete shook his head. “We're seriously, right 'Trick?” He looked to his boyfriend, who nodded fiercely and confirmed, “We are.” Pegasus eyes went wide. “Oh wow.” He breathed out. “That'd be so cool.” He admitted. “How about... we visit the house and see if it's as beautiful as we're being showed?” Pete suggested.

“Deal!” Pegasus said a bit too loud, and reached out for Pete's hand with his own hand. The couple smiled at him, and Patrick awed at his adorableness. “Then what are we waiting for? Let's go!” Pete said, then abruptly stood up, grabbed his laptop, forced it into his bag, and was ready to walk out the door. “Wait, Pete!” Patrick yelled, which made Pete stop. “Yeah?” He asked, confused. “Don't you have to stop the meter and pay for the Internet?”

Pete blinked, then said, “Oh yeah!”

After everything was paid for, the group climbed into the car. Pegasus, however, noted something during the ride. “I know you have the address, but shouldn't we first make an appointment? I know that it is already furnished with show furniture and everything and therefore nobody actually lives in it, but shouldn't we make an appointment first?” Pete abruptly hit the brakes and parked into a sideways parking lot.

“Shit!” He exclaimed. “I've forgotten! Quick Patrick, find the house via your mobile. You have 3G on your phone, don't you?” Patrick nodded. Within minutes, he found the house and got a phone number. Pete quickly called in the number.

After a phone conversation of a couple minutes, Pete hung up. “We can go pick the keys up at the real estate building. Then, we're allowed to go visit the house on our own. I may or may not have dropped a name.” Pete grinned, while Patrick slapped himself in the face. “Oh God, Pete. Now everybody knows we are in Chicago!” He exclaimed. Pegasus started to laugh very hard upon seeing Patrick's facial expression. Patrick followed suit with laughing, as did Pete. Pegasus's laugh was infectious.

They picked up the keys from the real estate building, then gave Andy and Joe a call, then drove straight to the house. “Wow.” Pegasus whispered once he stood face to face with the building. “It's gorgeous.” Pete smiled, together with Patrick. “Wanna see it from the inside?” Pegasus nodded enthusiastically. “Then let's open the door!” With slightly shaking hands, Pete pushed the keys into the locks and threw the door open. The group went inside.

The first thing Pete did was search for the light switch. After that, he followed Patrick and Pegasus through the living area. “It's bigger than I imagined!” Pegasus exclaimed happily. Together, they went through the house. First was kitchen; it was quite old-fashioned. Patrick kinda liked it. Then they went to the first bedroom with double bed. There they plopped down onto the beds, trying out the mattress.

“It needs to change. I don't like it.” Pete announced. “But that's all so far, right?” Pegasus asked hopefully, which made the couple laugh. “Yes, that's the only problem so far.” Pete confirmed. After that, they went to the connected bathroom. It looked quite nice. Then they opened the connected bedroom, with a single bed. Pegasus happily threw himself on the bed. “I can literally sleep anywhere.” He confessed. Pete and Patrick smiled down on him. After a couple of minutes watching him bounce up and down, Pete helped him up and led him to the hallway. There they went another bedroom with a double bed and a connected bathroom, a smaller one than the other. This one had cabinets, a toilet and a bath. Nothing spectacular.

When they were finished checking out all the rooms, they went to the living area, were they threw themselves on the couch. On the left, Pegasus, in the middle Pete and on the right Patrick. They sat in silence.

 

“Hey, why don't you check out the swimming pool?” Pete suggested, after a few minutes silence. Pegasus looked up from staring at the living area, and stared outside. “Alright.” He said after a few seconds and stood up to go outside. “Be right back.”

“So... what do you think of Pegasus and the house?” Pete asked Patrick once Pegasus was outside and closed the glass door. “I like him, a lot, Pete. He looks like you, but then again, he doesn't. He feels like a son of mine, too. He feels like a son of us both. And that's what matters, Pete. That it feels good.” Pete nodded in agreement. “I have nothing more to add.” He said, but then added, “Except that he's cool kid and has a great fashion style and I wouldn't want to change that.” Patrick turned to Pete, smiled, then grabbed hold of Pete's face. He turned Pete's face around, grabbed it closer to his head and leaned in for a kiss.

“Love you.” He whispered softly. Pete smiled.

After a few minutes of intensely staring at each other at a few stolen kisses, the doorbell rang. Pete looked up and eventually stood up to open the door. There, behind the door, stood Andy and Joe. “Hey.” Joe greeted with a wave. “What a coincidence. Andy was just about to leave my house when you gave us a call. We carpooled our way over here. Looks like a great place!” Joe told him, while Andy nodded in the background.

“Is the kid with you?” Andy inquired, to which Pete nodded. “He's in the backyard, looking at the pool. Go say hello.” He gestured inside. Andy and Joe shared a look, then Andy went inside. There he greeted Patrick, before eyeing the child from the inside. “You know, you could outside and say hello, Andy.” Patrick informed him. “Yeah, you're boyfriend said the same.” Andy took a deep breath, then found the courage to say hello. He was extremely nervous since hello, this was your best friends' child. He wanted to be friends with the kid.

“Hey.” Andy greeted after closing the backyard door. The kid turned around as fast as lightening and stared shocked at Andy. When he saw who it was, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “It's just you.” He said. Apparently, that made a huge difference. “Yeah, it's just me. Andy Hurley. I just wanted to say hello.” He told the kid in all honesty. Pegasus blinked, then said, “Alright.” With an additional shrug.

The next few minutes were filled with them staring intensely at each other.

 

“So... do you like comics?” Andy asked, after things got more awkward with the second. “Yeah, I suppose so.” The kid shrugged again.

Silence.

“Do you want to meet Joe? Trohman? He's a real cool dude.” Pegasus shrugged again. “If that's what you want, then it's fine with me.” Andy didn't know what he was supposed to say to that, so he just said his goodbyes, then went back inside. Once the door was closed, he breathed a sigh of relief.

“That bad, huh?” Joe asked, once he caught sight of his friend. “It wasn't necessary bad, Joe, but we just didn't found a common interest. And at first, he was shocked to see someone approach him besides the lovebirds. I'm sure we hit off later.” Andy guaranteed, although he wasn't fully sure of it.

“So I'm next. Wish me luck. I'm going for a funny approach.” Joe said, then slid open the doors and  
walked out of the house.

“Hey. I'm Joe, Joe Trohman. That was a Bond reference, by the way. Familiar with those movies, kid?” Joe inquired. Pegasus tilted his head in response and watched Joe very carefully. Joe had a feeling he knew how Andy must've felt. But he didn't give up. “Hey kid, do you know the chorus to Sugar, We're Goin' Down?” Pegasus nodded, still staring at Joe. “Wanna sing along?” Pegasus nodded again.

“Sugar we're going down...” Joe stopped, while Pegasus went through. When he realized it, he stared at Joe. “STINGING!” Joe then suddenly yelled, which made Pegasus raise an eyebrow and question Joe's sanity. “We're bees.” Joe explained, with a very serious tone. The kid seemed to have to think about that. Then, while Joe was stilling with his hands in the air with a 'Get it' expression and hand gestures, Pegasus let out a tiny laugh.

 

 

 

The ice was broken.

“Funny. A Fall Out Boy joke, I'll like it. Where did you get it from?” Pegasus asked. “Oh, from a website (badfobjokes.tumblr.com). I forget which one.” Pegasus nodded in understanding. “So many websites nowadays. I'll always forget to which I went last.” He confessed to him. Joe nodded in understanding. “Me too.” He admitted.

“So... Do you like video games?” Pegasus shook his head. “No, I don't.” He gave a short, but clear answer. Joe had to know why. “What don't you like them?” He asked. “Because they give kids confidence and the idea they can shoot whoever they want. I've seen it on the news and in reality. Video games aren't good for people. People nowadays can't handle games.”

“What do you mean with, 'I've seen it in reality'? Do you mean you were there when a kid went mad?” Pegasus nodded. “I don't hang around good neighborhoods, Joe. I hope you don't mind me calling you Joe. My friends and I like to spend a lot of time downtown Chicago, or out Chicago. We go on trips.” He answered, while looking the other way. “I'm trouble, Joe.”

Joe frowned. He was about to say something about it, when he heard the door open up. Two heads went to look at who it was. It was Patrick, sticking his head through the opening. “Hey.” He said. “Are you guys coming in? We'd like to have a group chat.” He gestured to the inside of the house. “With us all.” He added. Pegasus gave Joe a look, then went inside.

Joe was left staring at the kid's back.

“Hey, you coming, Joe?” Patrick asked, while frowning at his friend and bandmate. Joe observed the kid for a couple of seconds, then nodded and went inside.

There they sat. Joe and Andy on one couch and on the other couch, Pegasus, Pete and Patrick. They all stared at each other.

 

 

“So.. you've met each other.” Patrick stated. “How'd it go?” Pete asked, while bouncing in his seat. Pegasus gave him a look over from the corner of his left eye. Not a mean one, it was more an, “What are you doing, Pete?”-look. “It went... we just didn't hit it off.” Andy confessed. “He's a cool kid, though.” Pete frowned at his friend saying that. “Oh. Well, maybe next time.”

“How did it go with you, Joe?”

“He found one of my FOB jokes funny! That deserves a prize. But Patrick, Pete, I gotta talk to you later on.” Joe announced, thinking back to his and Pegasus's conversation. He didn't want to get the kid in trouble, so he kept quiet. But he had to tell his friends about the odd answer the kid gave. Maybe the kid was in danger. Eye witnesses were always in danger. God, he prayed the kid wasn't hunted after.

“Alright...” Pete answered, curious, while Patrick was slightly alarmed. “Hey Andy.” Pegasus then suddenly called out. Andy looked up in surprise. “Yes?” He asked. Pegasus softly smiled at him, then said, “I've never really been into comic book stores, would you like to take me there once?” He asked, with a nervous expression on his face. “Of course! I'd love to, Pegasus.” He told him. “Next week, maybe? There are a lot of comic book stores in Chicago.” Pegasus nodded in response, but Patrick interfered. “Maybe the week after next week. We got to move in and stuff.” He explained, sorry to interrupt the beginning of a friendship between his friend and son.

“Yeah, of course. I understand. Well, then I see you then. Or hopefully sooner than that. Then we can talk comics and find out what the ideal comic book is for you.” Pegasus nodded in agreement. “Cool.”

“So, who's going to show us around?” Joe asked, while in the process of standing up and looking around the living area. “Maybe Pegasus could do that. What do you think, kid, could you do that for us?” Pegasus turned to look at Pete, then slowly nodded. “Sure.” He said. Both him and Andy stood up and together with Joe, they walked to the dinning table. “So this is where people are supposed to eat.” He gestured to the table. He let the men look at the table for a few seconds, then marched over to the open kitchen.

“And here are people supposed to make food. Or, if they are very disgusting, have counter sex.” If Joe and Andy had anything in their mouth, it would've been spit out that instant. “Dude.” Joe exclaimed, shocked. “Aren't you like, fourteen? You're supposed to be still in the drooling over girls' skirts.” He pointed out, which made Pegasus shrug. “You're old fashioned.” He fired back. “Besides, some of my friends already knocked up girls.” He stated, leaving the two friends blinking and Pete and Patrick looking at each other.

“Oh wow. I didn't realize I was that old.” Joe confessed. Andy was still blinking in amazement at today's drama. “Hey Pete and Patrick.” The kid then suddenly shouted from the kitchen, then poked his head through the open space between kitchen and living area. “Yes?” Patrick asked. “Promise me that you'll never have sex on the counter in the kitchen or anywhere else than the bedroom. Living area, kitchen and bathroom are off limits.” He announced. Patrick's face turned a shade of red, while Pete sputtered at his soon to be son's bluntness. “Alright?” Patrick answered, still red.

Meanwhile, Joe and Andy were laughing out loud. “I love that kid!” Joe exclaimed to Andy. “Don't you?” He asked him. Andy nodded, still laughing.

After the peace was restored to the group of friends and the kid, Pegasus lead Andy and Joe to the first bedroom to the right. “This is a bathroom with a double bed and an attached bathroom, which is attached to a bedroom with a single bed. The bathroom is the biggest one in the house.” Pegasus informed them. “There's another bedroom with a double bed and an attached bathroom, but that one is much smaller.”

“But that one isn't attached to the single bed bedroom, right? If I were Pete and Patrick, I'd choose that one.” Joe said, but Pegasus objected, “I don't think that's smart, 'cause then the guests in the guest bedroom have to share a bathroom with me. And I'm a teenager. Trust me, I'll leave my socks everywhere. Not on purpose, but still. I usually throw stuff of me.” The kid had a point. “So the best opinion is to have the couple share the larger bathroom with you. Alright.”

“Next up: the bathroom. The one with decent colors. It does have a window, which is really creepy. Take a look for yourself.” Pegasus threw open the connecting door. They then proceeded to walk into the bathroom. “It's... not as big as my bathroom.” Joe pointed out, which made Andy say, “Because not everybody needs an enormous bathroom, Joe. Especially not a family house.”

“Not true. Especially a family house. Kids need space, as do their parents. What if they have like eight children?” Andy rolled his eyes. “I'm pretty sure a family of ten does not fit in a three bedroom house, dude.” And Pegasus then added, “I don't want seven siblings. I want none.” Andy and Joe shared a look, then turned to the kid.

“But kiddo, what if your parents want more?” Pegasus dramatically sighed. “Then I just move out.” He stated, before turning his attention towards the attached single bed bedroom. “Come, let's get through this tour.” And with that, he began opening the other door and walking inside the bedroom. “Are you coming?” He called out from there. Andy and Joe shared another look before following the kid.

“I'm just saying, Pete and Patrick might want more than one kid. They would see it as them doing you a favor. You know, to add somebody you can rely on.” Joe began again once they were in the other room. “They won't do me a favor. They will push me away from them. And I've got already a bunch of people I can rely on, trust me.” He pointed out.

“If you say so.” The friends then turned their attention towards the bedroom. “This will your room, won't it be?” Andy asked politely. “Yeah, totally. But it's in dire need of new wallpaper and other bed sheets.” He pointed at the pink/greyish walls and the flower bed sheets. “It's disgusting.” He stated. Joe and Andy smiled at the kid, who was dramatically looking down upon the room with his hands on his hips.

“So, what's the next?” Joe then asked. “The guest bedroom and the attached bathroom. Follow me.” They did as they were told and followed the kid out of the bedroom, into the hallway and into another large bedroom. “Just to warn you: the attached bathroom has disgusting colors. I'd advise you to close your eyes.” He advised, with a playful smile on his lips and twinkling eyes. Then he let out a tiny laugh. “It's truly a horror.”

“Oh God. Look at the colors, Andy!” Joe sputtered out, upon entering the bathroom. “They're so bright and... orange! Dude.” Andy followed suit in entering the room. “Jesus.” He said, then closed his eyes. “My head.” He mumbled. Laughing was heard from the other room. Andy opened up his and gave Joe a wink. Then they left the room.

“It was terrifying, man. I'm not staying in that bathroom when I come over.” Joe announced. “I'm going to talk with Pete and Patrick about getting white and grey tiles for the room. And I'm going to ask if we can turn the double bed into two single beds, in case you come over.” Pegasus said thoughtfully. Andy and Joe nodded approvingly. “Good idea, kiddo. And if it's just me and my girlfriend, we can always shove the beds together.” The kid then wrinkled his nose in disgust. “...Or not.” Andy laughed.

Soon, they left the room and went back to the living area, where Pete and Patrick where contently sitting on the couch, cuddling. Pegasus wrinkled nose again; Joe and Andy had to stifle a laugh.

After a few seconds, Andy announced his and Joe's departure. “We really have to go, guys. I have a bus to catch to Milwaukee.” Pete and Patrick nodded understanding. “We understand. It was nice of you to come over. Thanks, guys.” Pete said, then stood up to let them out.

“See you later!” Pete yelled, once the car started driving out of sight. After the car was gone, Pete went back inside and watched Pegasus observe the room one more time.

“I think we'll take the house.” Pete announced, with Patrick giving his nod of approval. Pegasus smiled brightly at them, before ushering Patrick to stand up. Patrick stood up, then was pushed towards behind the couch, while Pete moved to a spot near the other couch in the corner of the room to avoid getting crushed. “What are you doing..?” He began to ask, but was silenced by Pegasus attacking him with a bear hug. Once Patrick took notice of it, he put his arms around the kid and hugged him tightly.

 

 

Pete awed at the sight of his soon to be son hugging his boyfriend. Then, without warning, Pegasus untangled himself from Patrick and threw himself in Pete's arms. Pete received him with open arms.

 

 

“Hey kiddo.” He whispered to Pegasus, who whispered, “Thank you for taking me in.” Which brought Pete on the very edge of nearly busting out in tears. “You're welcome.” He sniffled. Patrick watched the scene unfold from behind them, with a big smile on his lips. So this was what family love felt like that.

After what felt like ages, Pegasus untangled himself from Pete and took a few steps back, with tears sparkling in his eyes. “Thank you, so much. You don't have an idea how long I spent wandering on the streets, looking for love. Or how long I spent sharing my space with others.” He confessed, while drying his tears. Pete and Patrick stared sadly at him, before sharing a look and embracing the kid.

“It's going to be okay, kiddo.” Pete whispered. “We've got you.” He told him, with tears pricking to spill. At this point, both were sniffling. “Thank you.” Pegasus whispered back.

The three of them continued to stand there, not letting go until Pete's phone went off. Pete first wanted to ignore it, but Patrick pushed him to take it. Pete let go, as did the other two, and answered the phone.

“You're speaking to Pete Wentz. What can I do for you?” He asked. “Hello, you're speaking with the real estate agent of Glenview. I was wondering how the sightseeing of the house went.” The voice of a man asked through the phone. “We loved it.” Pete said, then added, “We're willing to buy the house. Name your price.” The man announced the price, then closed the deal off via the phone. “I will see you in a couple of days, Mr. Wentz, to sign the papers. Have a nice day. Don't forget to deliver the keys back to us today.” Pete hung up.

“It's a deal. We're buying the house.” He announced with a big grin on his face. Pegasus's whole face lighted up, as did Patrick's. “That's great news, Pete!” Patrick exclaimed, while clapping his hands together. “I'm glad.” He added. Pete nodded in agreement. “And you, kiddo?” He looked towards Pegasus, who was shaking.

“Hey, are you okay?” Pete asked, although the question was unnecessary. Pegasus nodded, a big fat lie. “Come here.” Pete embraced the kid for the third time that day. There they stood again.

When Pegasus relaxed again, Pete pulled back and announced, “We're going to deliver the keys, then go get some brunch. And I won't hear an 'no'. We missed lunch because of this, so I own you brunch.” Pete smiled at the kid and at his boyfriend.

“Let's get out of here.”

END OF CHAPTER 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was the last chapter for a while. I'm going to write more this week, but I won't post the chapters until I've got enough (positive) feedback. I want to know what you think of this story, if you like it or not. And I'd like to know what you want to see more so I know what to write. All I know is that in the next few chapters, they move in, Pete and Patrick announce the adoption of their son and Andy takes Pegasus to a comic book story. I don't know what comic book is for a guy like Pegasus, so if you could recommend me a comic, that would be nice. 
> 
> Thank you for reading! Please leave constructive feedback and kudos.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading!


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